Shame on the NEPAD-aligned thouht police sheriff
(Oct 21 2002)

For his reign of terror and for his tyranny school of thought

The very idea of a good governance initiative by African leaders is something to be cherished and celebrated: that, perhaps, they genuinely accept that there is a clear and unequivocal need to do away with the hitherto perennial bad governance culture which is synonymous with contemporary African political leadership values.

And just as the African political landscape is littered with a litany of false dawns, the apparent monumental indifference, by these same African leaders, to the plight of the African students and teachers in Zimbabwe - where a colleague of these latter-day good governance disciples appears to be aggressively waging a Dark Ages type war against academic freedom and the conventional culture of learning, in an apparent reign of terror that knows no bounds – is yet another nail in yet another coffin of a litany of still-born African political false dawns.

The recently reported Mugabe regime’s threats (Friday 20th September 2002 Zimbabwean news media reports) against teachers who are suspected of having exercised their democratic rights to hold political opinions which the Mugabe regime does not approve of, or suspected of having committed the ‘crime’ of exercising a fundamental democratic right to choose a political party which the Mugabe regime does not approve of, are clearly irreconcilable with any notion of good governance – perhaps even by the NEPAD not-so-good ‘good governance’ standards…

Then there are the numerous reported incidents of police and militia brutality and harassment of students and teachers, within the boundaries of educational institutions, to encourage such victims (Al Capone-style, or is it NEPAD-style?) to subscribe to the terror school of thought.

How then, in good conscience, can the NEPAD good governance school of thought allow itself the ignominy of going into bed with this nefarious tyranny school of thought? How can they even condone the existence of such terror school of thought represented, as it seems, by such serious serial criminals who are evidently totally without conscience nor courage of convictions who pass for police and keepers of the peace under an unconscionable, diabolical rogue command of a thought police sheriff who passes himself off as the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe?

Testament: In solidarity with the beleaguered students and teachers of our belovéd homeland, Zimbabwe.

By: Thabo Siziba

N.B: The above solidarity statement was refused publication by all independent Zimbabwe newspapers –– even after paying for such publication, because, as the editor of one popular Zimbabwe independent newspaper said “we are afraid of being sued. And besides the article is too inflammatory and unsuitable for the people of Zimbabwe”.