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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
The unanimous election of President Mugabe as chairman of the African Union yesterday is a recognition of his principled stance in pursuing policies that promote the dignity of Africans and their right to self-determination, analysts have said.

Political analysts told The Herald yesterday said that under President Mugabe, the continent would be more united because of the respect he draws from fellow leaders and his quest for the prosperity of the continent and its people.

President Mugabe was elected by fellow Heads of State to lead the AU, replacing Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Said political commentator Mr Goodwine Mureriwa: “This is good to Zimbabwe, Sadc and the AU as a whole. President Mugabe is an embodiment of institutional memory of the Organisation of African Unity before it became the AU. He is a visionary leader in the mould of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere and other African founding fathers.

“He is a liberation icon and fighter against neo-colonialism and as the West continues with the machinations to re-colonise the continent, President Mugabe is the ideal person to lead (the) AU.”

Mr Mureriwa said President Mugabe would continue with his fight for Africans to have total control of their resources.

“His leadership will guarantee that Africans are in control of their resources.”

“Using the experience he has had over the years fighting Western imperialism and illegal sanctions, the AU and the continent stand to benefit from that experience and we are likely to see a manifestation of African solutions to African problems.”

University of Zimbabwe chairperson of the Political Science Department Dr Charity Manyeruke said President Mugabe was respected by the whole African continent and it was a fitting tribute that he led the AU.

“President Mugabe is not just celebrated as a leader in Zimbabwe and in Sadc, but in Africa as a whole,” she said.

“His pan-African leadership is admired and respected throughout the continent and in him the African leaders saw a person who could continue to pursue the ideals of the founding fathers of the continent.

“It is also an indication by Africans that they can determine their own issues without outside interference because he was elected in the face of spirited machinations by the West who did not want him to take over the chairmanship of the continental body.”

Dr Manyeruke said President Mugabe’s election would push the empowerment agenda across the continent.

“His leadership will definitely push the

empowerment agenda across the continent,” she said. “Africa is richly endowed with resources, but at the moment very little benefit has accrued to its citizens, but given the way he has successfully pushed for empowerment of the black majority in Zimbabwe he should also do the same on the continent.”

Harare Polytechnic lecturer in the Division of Journalism and Mass Communication Mr Alexander Rusero said President Mugabe’s election was a diplomatic victory for Zimbabwe.

“From a Zimbabwean perspective, his election shows Zimbabwe’s diplomacy on the rise and also a victory for Sadc in that we now have two people, the President and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, AU Commission chairperson, occupying influential positions on the continental body,” he said.

“Globally, it will send a clear message to the Western nations that Africans have confidence in President Mugabe despite the demonisation and negative perceptions that are portrayed by their media.

“It’s a clear demonstration of Africa’s independence and that the time has come for Africans to find solutions to their problems without undue influence from the West.”

The National Coordinator for Youth in Defence of Zimbabwe’s Sovereignty Organisation Mr Tapiwa Chitate congratulated the President on his appointment.

“We welcome President Mugabe’s appointment as AU chairman,” he said. “It is good for the country, it is good for Africa because his leadership is second to none.

“We are so happy and we are going to rally behind him and safeguard his principles and what he believes in.”

The election of President Mugabe comes after he assumed the Sadc chairmanship in August last year at a summit hosted in Victoria Falls.