Wilson Johwa
5 May 2008
Johannesburg — THE present "offensive" to defeat Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu (PF) is a "curtain-raiser" to an onslaught meant to turn SA's democracy into another pliant client of world imperialism, says the former head of the Africa Institute of SA, Eddy Maloka.
He is seen as a supporter of the South African government's policy on Zimbabwe.
Writing with Ben Magubane of the South African Democracy Education Trust, Maloka said "world forces" opposing attainment of "genuine independence and national self-determination" were bent on denying liberation movements the possibility of governing their countries.
Sometimes they sought to transform liberation movements into "client political movements gutted of their anti-imperialist content".
The authors argued that fear of China's growing influence coupled with a desire to exploit southern Africa's natural resources was at the root of the "imperialist agenda" and its desire for change in Zimbabwe.
In a paper entitled, Zimbabwe -- an International Pariah! What are the Revolutionary Tasks of the South African Democratic Movement, circulated last week, Maloka and Magubane said the region was replete with examples where intentions of liberation movements were subverted.
This started with the assassination of Congo's first elected leader, Patrice Lumumba, in 1961, they said.
It was also experienced in Zambia, where a "concerted campaign" removed founder president Kenneth Kaunda's United National Independence Party from power in 1991.
In Zimbabwe, the "imperialist agenda" found expression in the bid to persuade sections of "our (South African) movement to repudiate mediation work in which our government has been engaged with the full support of our region, Africa and the rest of the nonaligned movement".
Maloka and Magubane said that SA's democratic movement needed , "in its own interest", to defend the gains of the democratic revolution.
It must also defend SA's government and Zanu (PF), as well as work to strengthen the "African and global anti-imperialist movement," they said.
"A serious, dangerous situation is developing in southern Africa which could destabilise the region and provide an opportunity for western meddling, not only in Zimbabwe but in southern Africa as a whole," they said.
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i disagree with the writer and his sources that the my country's situation is a spring board of imperialists (so to speak) The originator is obviously not a zimbabwean who does not sympathize with the suffering of zimbabweans because of one person who obsessed with power. talking of imperialism in this 21st century is tantamount to mugabe's 'colonisation' blasphemy. all african countries have achieved democratic status, why should zimbabwe remain a dictorship state??? its time we should learn to co-exist than to think back wards. whats so important about a revolution??
think