Gugulethu Moyo

It will be a long hot summer in Zimbabwe. Presidential elections, scheduled for March 2008, offer the next hope of a way out of the quagmire. For President Robert Mugabe, the ballot brings the chance of a "legitimate" exit — either by accepting defeat or, buoyed by victory, a voluntary retirement after 28 years in power.

Mark Ellis of the International Bar Association explains to Gugulethu Moyo why leaders who commit crimes against humanity must be prosecuted under international law. Among the world’s lawyers, Ellis stands out for his doggedness in pressing for a criminal investigation of Mugabe.

"One leader is not enough for Zimbabwe’s opposition, after all. The MDC — unable to agree on whether to contest or to boycott elections — has split into two factions." Gugulethu Moyo reports on dealing with the two factions in the Movement for Democratic Change, each with its own president.

This week is the 27th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence — an occasion, as often before, for President Robert Mugabe to remind his beleaguered countrymen of their many achievements. Zimbabwe today is bereft of optimism and self-confidence. As recently as a decade ago, Zimbabwe’s record was routinely cited as an inspiration to its neighbours.

Myanmar, formerly Burma, is a wretched place. In 1962, a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government. Since then, armed forces have maintained a chokehold on power. In 1991, the military organised a democratic election and then refused to relinquish power to the party that was elected, the National League for Democracy.

In an astounding political volte-face, some of Zimbabwe’s former freedom fighters have eagerly assumed the mantle of their former oppressor, The Rhodesian Front, and now shackle the citizens of the free and sovereign Zimbabwe by the very method of the first oppressor.

The closure of <i>The Daily News</i> does not translate into good sense for the Zimbabwean people, whether measured against a democratic or an economic standard. Any regulatory regime that has had the effect, as this one has, of killing an industry cannot be said to be in the public interest.