Mugabe, Britain and South Africa

Ever wonder why President Mugabe is anti Britain? Or why Mugabe made those disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Gordon Brown?

The answer may be that while Zimbabwe was a colony of Britain, and known as Southern Rhodesia, the majority of people in Zimbabwe i.e. Mugabe's people and Morgan Tsvangarai's, - did not have the democratic vote. The Prime Ministers were amongst others, Herbert Todd then Ian Smith. During Ian Smith's premiership, he decided Southern Rhodesia should become independent of Britain. Sounds good. Smith made a unilateral declaration of independence from Britain.

When most colonies become independent, they usually go for democracy. Unfortunately, it was not in Ian Smith's plan to give the majority of people the vote. So Southern Rhodesia was a bit like South Africa was at that time. Both countries had a minority group ruling, while the majority watched the elections come and go.

Did Britain go in with an invading army like to the Falklands? No. The PM of Britain at the time was Harold Wilson. Wilson went to Southern Rhodesia and had secret meetings with Ian Smith on the Zambezi river on board a boat called the HMS Tiger or something. Ian Smith was left to rule Rhodesia for a good many years.

That is until one Robert Mugabe, led the majority to go to war against Ian Smith. They won and liberated the majority of people from the second type of colonialism.

During the war between Mugabe and Ian Smith, we sat at home watching the news. Our British journalists were embedded with the Rhodesian army that was fighting Mugabe, travelling in the back of jeeps and landrovers. Is it small wonder Mugabe believes Britain was never on his side?

Then Thabo Mbeki and his softly softly approach to Mugabe: During that civil war between Ian Smith and Mugabe, South Africa sent its army into Rhodesia to assist Ian Smith i.e. the old South Africa ruled by apartheid (Nelson Mandela was still 'rocking' on Robben Island. Can one really expect the new South Africa to send troops in to Zimbabwe to fight Mugabe? Or impose sanctions? How will that make the new South Africa different from apartheid South Africa?