I have read the reports about so called hawks putting pressure on Mugabe. Let's be careful about them. I personally I think Mugabe is the big hawk and his followers act according to his indications. If I were to look back to any thing wrong ZANU (PF) has done in the past twenty eight years, I see nothing wrong that was done without the express or implied indication of Mugabe. All the so called hawks are Mugabe's barking dogs. Mugabe hates to lose out on power and the 'hawks' understand him and follow his instructions religiously. If people say Mnangagwa is one of the powerful hawks, how come he was defeated twice by Chebundo in Kwekwe but did not resort to the type of violence we witness in presidential elections? How come Mugabe chided him and installed Joice Mujuru as party and state Vice President without Mnangagwa raising a fingure? Even the little nutty professor, Jonathan Moyo exhibited a stronger revolting spirit against Mugabe after the Tsholotsho debacle compared to Mnangagwa. The truth about ZANU (PF) is Mugabe has become the party and every other little figure in the party has become an instrument of Mugabe's policy.

Mugabe a hostage? He is a man (oh, sorry! rather a devil) with perfusion! being kept alive artificially! Just ask Tsvangirai. All his cronies are more preoccupied with what would be their fate rather than with the national interest.

And Mbeki is in collusion with them. Why? Perhaps out of sympathy for having been in the trenches for one reason or another - he calls that solidarity! Solidarity with people who continue to butcher their young sons and daughters when they are not terrorising them. Mbeki must know very well the extent to which the streets of Jo'burg are being swarmed by young capable Zimbabweans running away from the murderer and his henchmen.

If Mugabe is a hostage of his cronies, what then is Mbeki doing? lending a helping hand to the guys who should be sent to the gallows anyway? What a mean Mbeki keeping silent when Mugabe JOC shouted from the rooftop that they will never recognize Tsvangirai? Is he still the facilitator?

Had Mbeki sent SA troops, under a SADC cover, to arrest the thugs clinging to power illegitimately, Zimbabwe would already have had a legitimate government based on the March elections.

In the absence of a continued refusal by Mugabe to transfer executive power, Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania may take the lead in spelling out a military approach to solve the impasse in Zimbabwe.

How you wish dreamer. Can they afford it? Of course, there is the supply line from you know who ... Maybe Tanzania might get away with it but the other two will be opening a can of worms. Do you know that Zambians and Zimbabweans are the same people in every sense, hey muzungu!!! Your divide and rule wont work because KWACHA KWACHA KWAAACHA!!!!

Dear cunning Aka! I thought you could be more intelligent then by lending support to the Botswana condemnation of the devil and perhaps calling for a unity government between Zambia and Zimbabwe as per your claim they are the same people. In that way, you hit two birds with one stone! Get rid of the devil Mugabe and give substance to building a Great(er) Zimbabwe. Hahaha! How is that.

It seems you either have a short memory or you act like a coward toward lunatic Mugabe. Why did you shut up when Mugabe threatened Zambia with war before the run-off, that is threatening your kiths and kins across the border? Is it because of the crumbs that you are picking up from Magabe's table? Are you so cheap to let the lunatic threaten millions of your own across the border?

Wake up time for people like you!

'Lunatic' you say much less this time. Keep it up, baasi

'Lunatic' you say much less this time. Keep it up, baasi

aka, I agree with you Zimbabweans and Zambians are basically the same people. I would go further by saying that malawians too are the same as Zimbabweans and Zambians. Most of us have relatives in Zambia and Malawi and feel very much at home. I wonder if you remeber the federation of Zim/Zam/Mal during colonial days.

We share a large border with Botswana, but we are really not of the same stock. Maybe, acceptance by Zimbabweans may go a long way. Why bother the Batswana if they don't like Zimbabweans!

My dear Phiri! Shame, shame!!

I side with bleeding Zimbabweans in the name of African solidarity and love for freedom.

What rotten mind do you have? You want Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi to close ranks just because the same ethnicity binds you all!! With lunatics like you Africa will go backward. I am not surprised you are Mugabe fans.

What should we fight against now? devil Mugabe or devils like you who are undermining African solidarity by your rotten ethnic thinking in a world that through globalisation is being transformed more like a village?

You are as much a devil like Mugabe and a monster-in-the-making who soon will take up their knives to expell all Batswanas! Should I make you recall the painful necklacing and burning of Zimbabwean refugees in the streets of Jo'burg just because they were of another ethnic group?

Shame, Shame on people of poor mind like you. You have no place in today's Africa! What education are you giving to your kids? We should do everything to cleanse your mindset.

Prem, I'm not talking about ethnicity as something of an exclusion from others. I'm and I have the right to say that Zambians, Malawians, and Zimbabweans have a lot of similar blood lines crossing each other. If this is offensive, My apology!

But Prem, your reaction honestly surprises me! Most Zambians and Zimbabweans opposse Mugabe and still can say we share a whole lot with each other. But, calling me a devil and other names...I think is going a bit too far.

Well well Dr Mugabestien's monsters are on the loose.You know these loseres will in turn have their own monsters turn against them.Talks, summits, extra mediation nosh ups in fancy hotels with press baying like hounds for crumbs of breakthrough news....Ha ha ha..These bad boys are going down, and they're doing it to themselves.It wont be long me thinks real soon.

Like all evil strong men when they grow old, Mugabe is at the mercy of the forces that he himself has created. The problem for the people of Zimbabwe now is how to weaken these forces. Very difficult when so many, ie police, military, politicians and vets have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo and are so heavily armed. The threatened blockade by the trade unions of S. Africa seem to be their only hope. However Zims evil powerful forces seem to be willing to put the country and her lovely people through anything to maintain their privileged positions.

Maggie williams

Hawks,yes. That is why the Troika on defence are the best to deal with it. We wait to see how effective they are in defending the rights of the Zimbabwean people who, like a pack of sheep, have been surrounded by wolves that slaughter at will. Mugabe himself for the first time looks like just one of the bigger sheep. He will probably have to flee the country in the end, quite a difficult situation he finds himself in. Really to be talking about a war vet in this age would make me laugh if it were not sickening. And this Junta, which soldiers do they think will stand by them? They are going on and on until everyone starts talking about dragging them to the Haig and so forth, which could easily have been avoided.

This was so predictable. You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know a deal couldn't be brokered by SA or any other group. They weren't talking to ZIM JOC, ZANU or the drunken "veterans". ZIM is being controlled by a military junta and the corrupt ZANU-PF. They sure won't let go of their power until the majority of Zimbabweans rise up and say enough is enough. But that won't happen....the People are starving, weak, and sick. The smart ones have left. After reading many accounts of the recent meetings I have come to the conclusion that nothing will change in Zimbabwe. African leaders have pretty uniforms, hefty titles, lots of speeches but they lack one quality....the ability to govern for the good of the people. And for those of you who have branded me a "Rhodie" you are wrong. I am white and I was in Rhodesia and South Africa before you all were born. I knew the area when there was enough food, running water, electricity and good health clinics. Y'all don't have to worry about me coming back to colonize you. I do note that now you have driven all the whites out of ZIM, it is now blacks brutalizing blacks. I guess that is progress to y'all. The only way ZIM will change for either the good or bad is all out civil war. God help y'all

txbo,"The only way ZIM will change for either the good or bad is all out civil war. God help y'all" Typical Rhodesian mentality and rantings. To you, based on the good life of the 5% of Rhodesians, all of Rhodesia (95%)was successful and productive. Txbo, you were looking at the then Rhodesian in your white lies and thru the barbed wire fenced house. It is extremely dangerous to see the world in a barbed wire fenced house. Just because 5% of whites were doing were during Rhodesia does not mean 95% of the black population was doing well.

You White Rhodesians have a mentality problem because Rhodesia was one big lie and you were lied too repeately by you white racists murderers! So, if 5% of the white population is in heaven, then all Rhodesia (95%) is doing well. That is absolutely rubbish...

AMEN! TXBOB!!!!!

Phiri, what are these "barbed wire fences" behind which people lived that you keep mentioning? Then it looks like you Mugabe thugs were already murderers and thieves way back when. Why else would anyone live behind a barbed wire fence except for protection. So Phiri, how many of those wire fences did you try to jump over? In doing so, I bet you got your ass bitten by those Rhodesian ridge backs.