The businesses backing Mugabe are, in most cases, owned by Europeans or Americans who are in tune with the facts and reality in Zimbabwe. BY throwing their support on Mugabe, these western business owners are showing the world that they believe not only that Mugabe is not criminally rasist as US, Britain and some members of the EU are trying to potray him but that he genuinly loves his country and he is doing the best to make the citizens of Zimbabwe work and live together as brothers and sisters irrespective of the colour of skin or religion as opposed to the attempt by the US and Britain that would like to create polarization of black and white citizens of Zimbabwe with the whites made the masters and the blacks forced to stay as servants. The attempt by the EU to extend sanctions to these businesses shows the world that the EU is being used as a vehicle by US and Britain to push their already established overt agenda of progressively crippling other nations of the world in order to CONTROL AND PLUNDER THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES.

Nice try, but you only missed the bullseye by a few hundred miles there:

Agreed that most of the businesses that are propping ZANU and Zimbabwe up at the moment are foreign concerns, and yes, they are in touch with the realities in Zimbabwe ..... but what they are doing by propping Mugabe up is throwing in with a murderous dictator for the sake of money.

He loves his country so much that he wants it all for himself, and by the looks of it his plans for that include wiping out anyone who even dares to voice disagreement with him. He loves it enough to vapourise the economy with his short sighted and ill-thought out policies on land and industry in the late 80's and 90's.

He's working so hard to make people work together regardless of skin colour that he ejects the white farmers from productive land (good idea in theory, but doing it through violence? and on a economically suicidal timescale?) and puts his own cronies on it without thought for the impact, which subsequently turns that land barren ..... real equality policy there isn't it?

This is 2008, you need to get yourself up to date and out of the 1970s ..... and think for yourself for a change instead of regurgitating the same old Mugabe propaganda almost word for word.

If Mugabe is really not a racist like you claim, why is he so quick to blame the US/UK/EU etc for his own mistakes, why can't he take responsibility for his own actions ..... and if he were really the victimised man of peace that you hint at, why does he insist on allowing the murders and intimidation to carry on? Answer: Because he isn't what you claim, you've just listened to too much of his propaganda.

The article is the biggest load of rubbish I have read in really long while.

Businesses will not be targetted for sanctions because there is no reason nor justification for sanctions. This is a load of hot air.

The day Zimbabwe's detractors dictate to the global giants like Barclays Bank, Anglo-American Corp and British-American Tobacco is the day the world will stand still.

You are so PATRONISING, to use litotes. Were you ever an african in rhodesia??? l dont think so !!! You cant imagine the abuse and crudity you imposed on us africans. Clearly you are a rhodie ....you want us to forget the 100 years of abuse and racism but you do remember a few years when your UNFAIR system is being reversed. The so called decamped in 1980 or earlier. How did these settlers thought that they could have their cake and keep it ??? Of course, the ruling class in Great Zimbabwe is dishing land to like minded people, thats natural and logical. In 1066, William the conquerer did that and some of the recepients still hold on to the land, eg the Marquess of Salisbury, (the Gascoines). Would you ask the Jews to stop hacking back to the NAZIs??

akafunboy, you still havent answered my question. How can you condone and support someone that is happily murdering, beating and torturing his own people to keep power?

You are so PATRONISING, to use litotes. Were you ever an african in rhodesia??? l dont think so !!! You cant imagine the abuse and crudity you imposed on us africans. Clearly you are a rhodie ....you want us to forget the 100 years of abuse and racism but you do remember a few years when your UNFAIR system is being reversed. The so called decamped in 1980 or earlier. How did these settlers thought that they could have their cake and keep it ??? Of course, the ruling class in Great Zimbabwe is dishing land to like minded people, thats natural and logical. In 1066, William the conquerer did that and some of the recepients still hold on to the land, eg the Marquess of Salisbury, (the Gascoines). Would you ask the Jews to stop hacking back to the NAZIs??

and I'm thinking you should probably use a dictionary to find out what litotes are too! haha. Get yourself an education boy!

You are so PATRONISING, to use litotes. Were you ever an african in rhodesia??? l dont think so !!! You cant imagine the abuse and crudity you imposed on us africans. Clearly you are a rhodie ....you want us to forget the 100 years of abuse and racism but you do remember a few years when your UNFAIR system is being reversed. The so called decamped in 1980 or earlier. How did these settlers thought that they could have their cake and keep it ??? Of course, the ruling class in Great Zimbabwe is dishing land to like minded people, thats natural and logical. In 1066, William the conquerer did that and some of the recepients still hold on to the land, eg the Marquess of Salisbury, (the Gascoines). Would you ask the Jews to stop hacking back to the NAZIs??

As a rhodie, you migrated to rhodesia in the 1970s, a racist country whch was fighting a war to uphold their racist beliefs. l am sure you shot and murdered a couple of natives when you or your parents were in the rhodie army. My question is are you still fighting your 'bush war' or are you merely carrying on missionarying to the natives about everything ... politics, religion, economics, banking, family planning, giving European names to native children as their chances of ENTRY to heaven is NIL if they present themselves before GOD with an African name, and etc etc. ou cannot LET GO of Africa .... can you? l LOVE YOU baasi.

akapfunde1, i am wondering if you have been sniffing glue or drinking battery acid? You do no make much sense. You still have not answered me as to why you parents called you "akapfunde1".As you said i did not use my real name which means you must! "akapfunde1" is an interesting name for parents to call there child, are they Rock singers or actors?

And akafunboy hasnt answered me how he can condone and support someone that has blatantly murdered, tortured and beaten his own people to stay in power...

I believe some overzealous ZANU PF supporters and MDC villains with the help of the CIA stepped up the violence when the UN observers came to Zimbabwe. It was not politically wise for Mugabe to unleash such a violent campaign on the eve of the arrival of UN observers. To whose advantage was this strategy? Britain and its Rhodies and the blood thirsty satanists who are out hunting for a war against Iran, Zimbabwe etc. Closer to home this was to the advantage of the British Puppet Tsvangirai.

So the west is already supporting the animal they have created in killing his own people and discredit Mugabe so that he gets in power and support American foreign policy on Zimbabwe, It is known that Britain shares common foreign policies with USA and teh EU is just supporting one of its own.

So sanction against companies are going to kill the ordinary Zimbabwean on the street, the ordinary Zimbabwean employed by those companies. Just like the sanctions that have stopped us from getting paper to print money on has affected us the ordinary Zimbabwean.

The Europeans and the Americans have never made anything smart starting from the smart bombs in Iraq which killed the ordinary citizens than the targeted villains or the previous smart sanctions that have contributed to the economic melt down we are experiencing right now.

This is just another heavier burden we are going to carry as Zimbabwean Citizens due to our need to take back our land from the white rhodies.

Geez... How stupid are you!? You say the violence was to the advantage of "British Puppet Tsvangirai". How is this so!? Without the violence, the MDC, as shown by the result of the initial election, would have won the run off and be sitting in power as we speak. Mugabe needed the violence to change peoples votes and to keep power. There is only one person who this violence benefited. And you think the US actually gives a sh!t about Zimbabwe, the same way it does about Iran? Iran is in the process of developing nuclear weapons, which, coupled with saying they are going to wipe israel off the map, is alot more serious I'm afraid. They really couldnt give 2 sh!ts about a banana rupublic in africa. If what you say is true, then why is Mugabe trying now to negotiate and give power to the "British Puppet Tsvangirai" if the west is so evil? In regards to "smart sanctions" please tell us how a ban on travel for government ministers has contributed to the economic melt down Zimbabwe is now experiencing... you really have no idea! And finally, you bring it all back to the land issue! What a joke! The only people mentioning the land is the ZANU PF and Mugabe fans who need someone to blame for their own mismanagement of the economy. The west doesnt care that Zimbabwe has given the land back to Zimbabweans (bar the ministers that have received farms and thus reduced the production of the country). But they dont care! It hasnt been mentioned by the west for years! You've just been listening to Mugabe bullsh!t for too long. Really really stupid people like you annoy me so much.

akafunny..you are still evading my question. Why could you not bring yourself to flee the depressing rhodesia you have painted for us all here now..but as soon as the winds changed direction and a breath of fresh air in the form of a black liberator took over.....you sprinted out of the country straight to another white country ruled by relatives of your oppressors?? You just a sucker for punishment??? come on..admit it..you love white folk and their way of govt..

It may not be surprising that, as befits any mad dictator, President Mugabe is now the proud owner of a palatial £4.5 million mansion in Harare and a similarly lavish country hideaway, each fitted with the latest electronic security systems, including anti-aircraft missiles. But why should all this have been provided for him by the People's Republic of China? The explanation lies in a deal struck in 2005 whereby Mr Mugabe handed over to China his country's mineral rights, including the world's second largest reserves of platinum, worth £250 billion. In return for allowing the Chinese to cart away more than half a billion pounds' worth of minerals a year, Mr Mugabe not only makes a vast personal fortune for himself and his henchmen, but is given all the arms he needs to keep his criminal regime in power, including guns, jet fighters and military vehicles.

Awt, who said you only post useless drivel and lies. Now this is some good stuff. This shows why Mr. Mugabe has lived for 84 years against all the odds, he's one smart dude! No wonder Africans voted him the third most popular leader on the continent, ever.

so you're happy that Mugabe has sold out to the Chinese?

when I finally wipe the tears from my eyes from all the laughter I will reply to this tripe...ha ha ha. you should do stand up comedy mate...you killed me here..mugabe loves his what???? ha ha ha

Awt, all I can say to this eye-opening information about Mugabe and his Chinese is "WOW!" Zimbabweans should have a staggering concern. Besides the titles of murderer and plunderer amongst others, Mugabe now has earned 'hypocrite' as well. Well, well. After everything he says about the western leaders, look what He does behind the backs of his Zimbabweans?

I know.. all this talk about this foreign ownership etc at the hands of the british, but its ok for the chinese.... shows it a british thing and not a minerals thing