True Men of Courage
The pride of all freedom loving Zimbabwean's

14th February 2003

Every now and again, amidst the gloom of our present darkness, a small light will shine reminding us of the principles and courage still alive out there.

I am referring of course to the statement of Andy Flower and Henry Olonga on Monday (see below) which, together with the England team's refusal to play cricket under Mugabe's tyranny, have restored the faith of many people in the game and its players.

"We believe it is important to stand up for what is right," Olonga told the BBC, adding the public response had been overwhelming.

The two must have known the price they would have to pay for this act of singular bravery. President Robert Mugabe is the patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. His minions will see the two are suitably punished. The ZCU has referred their case to the ICC which will rule on their fate shortly.

Olonga's club, the inappropriately named Takashinga, has already disowned him.

We can expect to see a number of cowards coming out of the woodwork in the next few weeks as the cricket authorities scramble to demonstrate that the sentiments of the two players do not represent the sport as a whole.

But for me the single biggest lesson from the debate over whether the teams should come here on tour has been the pathetic posture of the South African cricketing authorities. Their desire to please their political masters has far exceeded that of their Zimbabwe counterparts.

It is difficult to know where to start. Certainly, Ali Bacher who presided over rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980s, provided some of the most breathtakingly cynical remarks. He insisted "the-tour-must-go-on" as evidence of repression in Zimbabwe mounted.

Asked by a reporter if the England team were not justified in their concerns about security, he replied: "Of course, we are all concerned about security in the wake of September 11."

Then there was André Puis, the policeman who repeated the mantra of the South African Police Service's intelligence wing that the threat against the England team from the British-based "Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe" was a hoax. One had the distinct impression this conclusion had been arrived at before the facts had been established.

Are these not the same people, by the way, who have been collaborating with the ZRP on Sarpcco, the regional police chiefs' organisation?

Whatever the case, the South African cricketing authorities have bought the political line that nothing will be allowed to disturb the success of the tournament. And they are threatening retaliation against anybody who rains on their parade. SA cricket chief Percy Sonn told reporters in Cape Town on Monday that if England boycotts Zimbabwe, then South Africa and its ZCU "brothers" could boycott England later this year. If the ZCU go along with this Zanu PF-type agenda it will be curtains for them in the public's mind.

They and Percy Sonn need reminding that in England demonstrators don't have their heads cracked open for differing with the government.

I get asked a lot about why we are not mounting the same sort of opposition to Pakistan's presence. Is this not evidence of double standards? Well yes and no. Yes Pakistan is not a good advertisement for the Commonwealth. But on the other hand we do not live on its doorstep.

The debate around Zimbabwe's suitability as a World Cup host emanates from within this country and extends to those societies that claim to uphold democratic values.

The England team, and now also its managers who displayed such arrogance when demonstrators occupied Lords last month, have woken up to the fact that playing in Zimbabwe will discredit cricket.

In five years time when Mugabe has gone people will look back at this episode and wonder why there was a controversy in the first place. The issues are crystal clear. This is a thuggish regime that does not deserve the international endorsement that the tournament will bring.

Can any sportsmen and women today look back with pride to the era of sporting ties with apartheid South Africa or rebel tours? Those saying then that politics and sport should not mix are now seen as naïve and foolish.

Tim Lamb, Ali Bacher, Percy Sonn and Malcolm Speed are trotting out the same brain-dead mantras today.

Similarly, Albie Sachs, for whom I had considerable respect until this week, will be judged ruthlessly by history for his politically correct ruling that ignored the suffering of millions of Zimbabweans so that the game could go on. A terrible blindness has afflicted South Africa's officials which will cost them dearly when Zimbabwe's crisis becomes theirs.

The ICC has appeared to sacrifice Zimbabwe on the altar of greed. The £350 million deal with a Rupert Murdoch company for TV rights has undoubtedly been behind its strenuous opposition to moving the England game. So has the indifference of South Africa, Namibia, India and Pakistan to Zimbabwe's plight. None of this looks good for cricket.

Fortunately, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga have shown there are some for whom principle and human decency count for something. They are a fine example to all Zimbabweans, especially the younger generation who need to know that cricket is not devoid of a social context. These are the true patriots, not the vicious Green Bombers who blight our land.

Just when we needed people to stand up and be counted in the struggle for freedom and justice, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga stepped forward. Now others need to follow their lead.

Flower/Olonga statement in full

It is a great honour for us to take the field today to play for Zimbabwe in the World Cup.

We feel privileged and proud to have been able to represent our country.

We are, however, deeply distressed about what is taking place in Zimbabwe in the midst of the World Cup and do not feel that we can take the field without indicating our feelings in a dignified manner and in keeping with the spirit of cricket.

We cannot in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and oppressed.

We are aware that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans may even die in the coming months through a combination of starvation, poverty and Aids.

We are aware that many people have been unjustly imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing their opinions about what is happening in the country.

We have heard a torrent of racist hate speech directed at minority groups.

We are aware that thousands of Zimbabweans are routinely denied their right to freedom of expression.

We are aware that people have been murdered, raped, beaten and had their homes destroyed because of their beliefs and that many of those responsible have not been prosecuted.

We are also aware that many patriotic Zimbabweans oppose us even playing in the World Cup because of what is happening.

It is impossible to ignore what is happening in Zimbabwe. Although we are just professional cricketers, we do have a conscience and feelings.

We believe that if we remain silent that will be taken as a sign that either we do not care or we condone what is happening in Zimbabwe.

We believe that it is important to stand up for what is right.

We have struggled to think of an action that would be appropriate and that would not demean the game we love so much.

We have decided that we should act alone without other members of the team being involved because our decision is deeply personal and we did not want to use our senior status to unfairly influence more junior members of the squad.

We would like to stress that we greatly respect the ICC and are grateful for all the hard work it has done in bringing the World Cup to Zimbabwe.

In all the circumstances we have decided that we will each wear a black armband for the duration of the World Cup.

In doing so we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe.

In doing so we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe.

In doing so we pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our nation.

Andrew Flower, Henry Olonga.

Editor's Memo - Zimbabwe Independent