"This Hitler has only one objective: justice for his people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people and their rights over their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold." Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, Sydney Morning Herald, 25 March 2003

Zimbabwe Comment by Fredrick Töben 20 August 2003 Until 1980 this country was known as Rhodesia, a prosperous nation of 6 million inhabitants who were 'ruled' by about 250 000 mainly Europeans. Even during sanctions the country fed its people, and its Prime Minister, Ian Smith, did not give away the strategic minerals needed for the rocket industry. He asked for, and received, a good and fair price. It all sounds too familiar. Now that the country is bankrupt, the creditors determine what price Zimbabwe is to receive for its natural resources. To this day Ian Smith can walk the streets of Zimbabwe's capital, formerly Salisbury now Harare, and elderly Zimbabweans greet him and want to shake his hand. Invariably they say that under his rule, under sanctions, they had it better than now. With the change-over to majority 'one-man-one vote' rule (freedom, democracy and consumerism), expectations grew among those who until then knew that the 'whites' were in charge. When Ian Smith handed over power to Robert Mugabe, Great Britain agreed to secure Rhodesia's bureaucrats their pension rights. It is not clear whether Great Britain also guaranteed to pay/compensate 'white' land acquisition, something the Mugabe government claims Great Britain did. If this is the case, then Great Britain let down the Zimbabwe government and its people. There is a lawyer in Zimbabwe who (still?) is attempting to clarify this through a legal challenge in Great Britain itself. 'European' farmers have suffered badly because of this matter, and the 'veterans' who lay claim to their farms are also not happy because they had been promised so much twenty years ago. Many Zimbabwe farmers have been warmly invited to move to Zambia and Mozambique where they receive 99-year-leases on farms that have been arid since these countries gained their 'independence' from their colonial masters. Anyone who knows more on this matter, please advise. The article from the Commercial Farmer's Union, following below, is instructive in that it blames President Mugabe's policies for the country's economic breakdown. What option did he have, after trusting Great Britain to also deliver on the crucial land re-settlement policies that made up one of the fundamental corner-stones of handing over Rhodesia to him? The emphasis in the following item has been added.