President in the eyes of African journalists President Mugabe
President Mugabe

President Mugabe

George Chisoko in New Dehli, India—
While the Western media, as expected, does not find anything positive to write on President Mugabe, the African media, whose voice matters the most on articulating issues the continent is grappling with, finds favour in him and hold him in very high esteem. A fortnight ago I wrote an opinion piece that sought to unpack the basis of President Mugabe’s popularity whereupon I concluded, as many other impartial observers and researchers have done, that it hinged hugely on his ability to craft and implement policies that resonate with the aspirations of the majority of Zimbabweans.

Indeed, the President is very popular in Zimbabwe, that is unquestionable. However, my interaction here with some of the 43 journalists from Africa attending the 3rd India-Africa Editors’ Forum, has made me walk with a spring in my step as they have attested to President Mugabe’s popularity, which they have attributed to his ability and willingness to respond to the needs of the people.

They also said his preparedness to ward off the interference of the West in the affairs of his country had, among other things, made him a standout performer in Africa and abroad. The journalists’ views exposed me to the fact that President Mugabe’s popularity was not only localised within Zimbabwe but extended beyond the borders of the country.

Upon learning that I was from Zimbabwe, the journalists have been quick to ask the question: “How is Mugabe?” and this has been the pattern since I have been here, which then prompted me to interview the journalists on their perception of President Mugabe. Some journalists were happy to be quoted in the story while others were a little uncomfortable because they feared they would cause their own leaders distress by the positive views they expressed about President Mugabe.

Liberian Rodney Sieh, the publisher of Front Page Africa, said: “President Mugabe is popular without any doubt because he stands up to the West, especially Britain and America which many leaders are afraid to do. He is a leader you would wish to have for a president any day and at any time.”

Kennedy Dhlamini of the Swaziland Observer said: “I like President Mugabe as a person because for me he is a leader among our leaders. “He leads the way in standing by the decisions he makes and for that I respect him for his principles. He is not afraid to take decisions and remains the only leader we have who is not easily shaken to do that.”

Yet another journalist, Mozambican William Mapote, who works for SOICO Group, had this to say: “Leaders, who today are criticising President Mugabe for his bold stance on many issues will in the next 10 to 20 years remember him and wish they had done the same for their countries.

“He provides the vision, the leadership and maturity needed to take, not only Zimbabwe forward, but Africa as a whole. He is the kind of a leader we want in Africa. “In fact, we need more Mugabes in Africa. Yes, I like my President too but I think he needs to be made of steel like President Mugabe and become assertive.” Mapote also cited the gay issue and said unlike other leaders, President Mugabe has been unequivocal on the matter, making it very clear to the world that the issue was not up for negotiation.

“This is what we expect leaders to do. They must desist against massaging the issues because they are recipients of aid and would thus not want to upset the money bags, No,” said Mapote.

Senegalese Aly Diouf, a journalist working for the Societe Senegalaise de Presse et de Publication (SSPP), while conceding that much of the information he knows about President Mugabe and Zimbabwe came from the Western media, which has never hidden its hatred for him, believes President Mugabe’s popularity stems from his refusal to pander to the whims of the West and its allies.

“I know him as someone who does not co-operate with the West on matters where his principles are put into ques- tion.

The land reform is a very good example where Britain and America were fiercely opposed but the President, because of the strong conviction he had that he was doing the right, did not abandon land reform but went ahead and today I hear many Zimbabweans now have land, farms. President Mugabe has fought so hard to have the free will to choose political and economic partners without having to be detected to by the West. It is important for a nation to be able to decide who its partners are,” he said.

Another journalist, who requested anonymity, said President Mugabe was the only leader of Africa and wished all leaders were like him. “I like his principles. The West’s interference is just too much and President Mugabe is one man who has stood up to its excesses. I shudder to think what Africa would have been without him. It is unthinkable, unimaginable.

“I am also thinking of President Mugabe’s famous statement a couple of years ago when he said to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair: ‘Blair, keep your England and I will keep my Zimbabwe’ something only a leader not given to fickleness of the mind would say to a leader of country that has the potential and capacity to provide aid,” said the journalist from Southern Africa.

Victor Kgomoeswana, who is the director of Africa Is Open For Business from South Africa, said President Mugabe’s legacy was unquestionable as he had done a lot for Zimbabweans from improving the literacy rate to land reform.

“Every leader must be striving always to improve literacy rate and to addressing land reform issues. He has earned respectability across the world because he has been able to identify the methods that work for his country. He is a legend, no doubt considering the immense contribution he has made to Africa, in general and Zimbabwe in particular,” he said.

Malawian Ephraim Munthali, who is the acting managing editor of Nation Publications Limited, said President Mugabe was popular because his message of pan-Africanism resonated much across Africa given the extent to which the West wanted to dominate the global agenda.

“He will remain popular for a very long time to come as people respect what he stands for. “He has endeared himself to a lot of people because he speaks more forcefully when other leaders want to pander to the whims of the West in the hope of getting more aid. “President Mugabe’s resistance of the West’s ‘one size fits all’ attitude linking problems in Africa to a lack of democracy has earned him love and respect among his people at home and those outside,” Munthali enthused.

Other journalists expressed similar views but felt the challenges facing Zimbabwe needed Zimbabweans themselves to tackle them with venom to make the country the legitimate economic hub of Southern Africa. To this end the Government has come up with the 10-Point Plan for Economic Development to turnaround the economy and, broadly, Zim-Asset to provide home-grown solutions to economic chal- lenges.

It is clear, therefore that while the Western media, as expected, does not find anything positive to write on President Mugabe, the African media, whose voice matters the most on articulating issues the continent is grappling with, finds favour in him and hold him in very high esteem.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey