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of the Rhodesian regime that had defied previous British governments.

Previous Labour Party governments were actually conniving with the settler regime by claiming that they could not fight their kith and kin. If it were not for Zimbabweans who took up arms to liberate this country, there would never have been independent Zimbabwe.

Be that as it may, it took Thatcher, dubbed “the Iron Lady’’ by the Russians, to read the riot act to Ian Smith and his supporters that the die was cast, the guerrillas were going to fight their way into Salisbury if the Rhodesian Front did not allow the Crown to take over. The settler regime renounced their rebellion of UDI and the British Crown took over, which subsequently handed over the reins of power to the first prime minister of independent Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

That is the Thatcher I met here in Zimbabwe when she came to attend the Commonwealth Conference, in Harare.
I was lucky to get a chance to chat to her as chairman of the Zimbabwe-Britain Society.

What I recall is a leader of resolute character. Later, when she lost power after being deposed by her own party, despite having won a third election with a 100 seat majority in the House of Commons, the Labour government of Tony Blair was a major disaster for Zimbabwe.

The Labour Party imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe after reneging on what had been agreed to at the Lancaster House Conference, chaired by Thatcher, that the USA and UK shall pay for land resettlement. The Conservative Party is known for its pragmatism in foreign policy unlike the socialists trade union Labour party.

Just imagine if there was no Margaret Thatcher in power in Britain? Who could have negotiated the transfer of power to the majority in Zimbabwe? Not the Labour Party which is not known for any efforts to decolonise overseas territories.

It was Thatcher who negotiated the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese after so many years of occupation. Her blot may be the occupation of the Falkland Islands on which she fought a bitter war against the generals of Argentina. But as far as Zimbabwe is concerned, Thatcher played a major role in coming to terms with the aspirations of the Zimbabwe people, who wanted to rule themselves. At that chance meeting I had with her, she asked me if I had been to the UK. I told her that I had been to UK a year after her election as prime minister and had visited the House of Commons and met several members of parliament.

My impression of the UK then was a well run country with exciting political life. What I cannot explain is if circumstances were different, and the Conservatives were in power, surely, Ian Smith and his ilk could not have declared independence unilaterally. The fight Thatcher had with the Labour Party and their trade union allies was the epitome of British politics.

All over the world, there are political movements that are fighting trade union allied parties. The thinking is that trade unions tend to disrupt the proper running of economies by going on unjustified strikes and just causing havoc. If trade unions did not dabble in politics but restricted themselves to fighting for better pay for their members, that would augur well for the economy and society at large.

In Africa, political trade unionism has made economies to stagnate and challenged legitimate governments by forming their own parties that have failed to advance anything tangible for the general population. In a way, Thatcher could have been right to curb the power of trade unions. What is interesting is that, even, the Labour Party in the UK did not repeal the laws put in place by Thatcher to curb the power of the trade unions.

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I am sure Zimbabweans, old enough to remember Thatcher, would be saddened by her passing on to the other world. 

I am not convinced that Thatcher would have approved of the behaviour of the Labour government to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. I cannot remember any country she imposed sanctions on, on political grounds. Some years ago, the Americans were polled to find out who was the most effective leader in the world, 70percent said Thatcher.

If promoting private enterprise was what socialists found repugnant in Thatcher’s policies, surely, here in Zimbabwe, the policy is being pursued where individuals are being encouraged to own their homes. There are many schemes promoting self-reliance in Zimbabwe.
In Zimbabwe, those who sit on their hands, will not prosper. Yes, Government plays a role of building the infrastructure but it is the people themselves who work hard to improve their lives.

Therefore, Thatcher’s legacy of private enterprise and well managed monetary system has found favour in Zimbabwe. By playing a central role in the attainment of our independence, whose 33rd anniversary we celebrate next Thursday, may her soul rest in peace.