The drawn-out farce of the Zimbabwean “elections” has now taken a mad legal turn, with the MDC going to law to force the election commission to release the results, but being prevented from entering the court by Mugabe’s police. I can’t help thinking this hilarious, as well as infuriating, and I’m astonished people in Zimbabwe still have the patience to try to oust Mugabe in polite ways, appearing to go along with the pretence that they live in a normal society with fair and functioning institutions. Isn’t it time to realise that Mugabe will only go if forced to by his people? I’m not suggesting violence; I am suggesting mass civil disobedience and replacing work with anti-Mugabe rallies.
As I’ve said before, Zimbabwe’s lawyers can do their bit: I think the judges should hold their court outdoors, or in secret, if they can, or over the phone – however they need to in order to frustrate the police and get the case heard. Let’s see if they do.
In the meantime, I can’t get out of my head a tune by the Zimbabwean band the Four Brothers, called Rugare (it’s track number 11). I can’t understand the lyrics of course but my own 2008 English version goes “Mugabe, **** off, Mugabe!“.
civil disobedience nice idea but the issue of death as a by-product of attending anti-mugabe events may have a dissuasive effect.