I can’t remember a news event of more calculated and cruel cynicism than this appalling moment where President Mugabe visits his new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in hospital.
Not only did he have to endure the agonised grief for his late wife, he then had to lie helpless through the crocodile tears of the first lady and other presidential hangers on. It makes your stomach turn…
See the BBC report here – and the Telegraph picks up on the obvious speculation about Mugabe’s culpability.
Oh God of Justice, come.
This Post Has 3 Comments
Hi Mark
This is, indeed, another tragedy in the sad story of Zimbabwe under Mugabe. As Christians I know it is imperative that we keep praying for Zimbabwe, and Mugabe, but I wonder if you have thoughts on any action that we might take, to press for political change. I see that the Telegraph suggests South Africa is best placed to apply pressure, and we can add that nation to our prayers too.
But what of us Christians in Britain? I guess it is right that we feel powerless and are forced to our knees in earnest prayer, but I also wonder what our politicians would do if they felt that Zimbabwe meant as much to voters as the credit crunch.
Thanks
Andy
@ markmeynell
Please make another post explaining:
– how Mugabe was responsible for the death of Susan Tsvangirai.
– why Morgan Tsvangirai said it was genuine accident.
In response to Andy – it is worth saying that in appealing for the God of Justice to come, I don’t preclude any means by which he might come – i sincerely hope that South Africa would be a key channel for that. Furthermore, such appeals never preclude what we ourselves can do – by lobbying, speaking up, acting locally etc etc.
In response to Kwame, thanks for your comment. The problem of course is that one never knows what has gone on. What we do know is that car accidents seem to be the weapon of choice for political assassinations (across Africa but by no means exclusive to Africa) and if it was the case that Mugabe’s regime was responsible, then Susan Tsvangirai would by no means have been the first victim. It would certainly be consistent with the profound recalcitrance Mugabe has demonstrated over power-sharing – and what better way than to be able to blame it on foreign aid vehicles. Of course, it may well be an accident – and no one should be guilty before being proven innocent. But the difficulty here is that innocence for many crimes is hard to find. And why would Tsvangirai maintain it as an accident? Isn’t it obvious that he has to? Power-sharing (for all its problems) would be rendered impossible if he came out and said it was an assassination attempt. You can’t have power-sharing where a president tries to bump off his prime minister. So there are huge political reasons to keep that quiet.
But time will certainly tell. For now, though, the tragedy is that Tsvangirai has lost his wife – and for that, our hearts must go out to him. And i for one found the images of Mugabe visiting in hospital eerie, to say the least.