oppression in africa

Oppression in Africa
How to move from the first world to the third in two decades

1st August 2004

Oppression is an interesting word, often used by African liberation movements to describe white rule in Africa, but more fittingly attached to most black African governments post colonial rule. To oppression can also be added the words, Genocide, Corruption and Starvation, as being other wonderful black African adoptions upon independence.

Rhodesians never ‘oppressed’ black Africans in any way that came even remotely close to the depravity of many black African regimes. However, they certainly prevented black Africans from killing each other in tribal warfare, and provided them with primary health care, education, freedom from starvation and the rule of law.

Today, the reason most Rhodesians in exile, and I suspect white Zimbabweans, cannot easily live with the nausiating fact of Mugabe’s despotic and corrupt one party rule, is that he has in less than two decades turned a vibrant first world nation into a third world basket case.

Unacceptable as it may be to the limp-wristed liberals of the West, another ‘Ian Smith’ could be exactly the right muti that Zimbabwe needs. There can be little doubt that a ‘Smith’ ruled Zimbabwe, would be a far more viable economic entity than one ruled by Mugabe and ZANU PF. Sadly that is never going to happen, the era of white rule, and of meaningful economic progress in Africa has come to an end. All that remains is the crumbling infrastructure of a glorious past, and a requiem for what might have been.

Touching on the explosive question of the ownership of land in current day Zimbabwe. Many people in the West are not aware of the fact that 80% of white owned farms, prior to their illegal seizure, were bought after black majority rule in 1980. This is of course when Mugabe and ZANU PF came to power, and all farm sales had to be accompanied by certificates of no interest for resettlement by the government. To then seize these farms and claim they were stolen by the white man is racist nonsense of the worst kind, they were bought and paid for legally and within the laws of Zimbabwe.

Mugabe and ZANU PF have in effect cut off their noses to spite their faces, in respect of the commercial farmers. They appear to have no idea of the economic asset that has been lost to the country. No wonder the governments of Zambia and Mozambique were almost jumping up and down with glee, at the prospect of all that expertise and economic flair relocating to their sides of the border. And what an impact the commercial farmers have had in Zambia in such a short time. They are transforming the agricultural sector which had been stagnant for decades, and bringing in huge amounts of forex to the Zambian government.

Now that the commercial farmers have gone from Zimbabwe and the country is in ruins, we can clearly see just how vital they were for the nation. Some 4,000 odd white farmers were carrying 12,000,000 black Zimbabweans by bringing in the much needed forex for the Zimbabwean economy. Truly a crystal clear example of the white mans burden in Africa. ‘Never in the field of human endeavour, have so many been dependent upon the actions of so few’, to badly quote Chruchill.

Nobody can seriously say that life for the average black African in Rhodesia, was worse than for that of the average black African in Zimbabwe today? On a wider perspective, was life better for the average black African in the DRC post colonial rule, or Angola or Rwanda or to bring it bang up to date, the Sudan? Black African rule has not been a solution to poverty and oppression in Africa, it has been quite the opposite.

Mugabe is not just another ‘bloody munt’, as some would say, he is a self serving autocrat steeped in the blood of his own people. He probably did not adopt Marxism from any real sense of political conviction, but most certainly recognized it as the best tool for ensuring his hold on the country until his dying day. The main weapon of political rhetoric in Mugabe’s arsenal, aside from blaming all his failure on the consequences of white rule, has been anti-white racism. This fixation on the white man in Africa is almost a narcotic substance for many black Africans, if they could roll it and smoke it they surely would.

Mugabe has never outsmarted Rhodesians, but he most certainly outsmarted the snivelling and appeasing nations of the West during the 1970’s. Rhodesia was betrayed and stabbed in the back by those who should have supported it. Mugabe never beat Ian Smith or Rhodesia, certainly not militarily, rather Rhodesia was beaten by the misplaced, politically correct colonial guilt of the West, and the rampant opportunism and world expansionism of the Communist bloc.

So supporters of ZANU PF and other anti-white cheer leaders, enjoy your Zimbabwe, that land of plenty, that veritable land of milk and honey you have created between the Limpopo and the Zambezi, you are welcome to it. Rhodesians have moved on and are doing very well in their adopted homes in the first world nations, how ironic they are now being joined by legions of black Zimbabweans, gagging on the milk and honey flowing from the policies of Mugabe and ZANU PF.