SADC shuns Bingu as Comrade Mugabe is booed
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe who stirs mixed feelings in many Malawians received hisses at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre where he was attending the country’s 45th independence celebrations on Monday.
The celebrations, where he was the only other head of state with his host Bingu wa Mutharika, appeared to have been studiously shunned by the 16-member Southern African Development Community, SADC. Only two low-ranking officials from Mozambique and Tanzania attended among locally-based diplomatic staff.
Government sources said the SADC heads are sending a message to Mugabe that his failure to cooperate with their recommendations on the way forward for the Zimbabwe government will not be tolerated.
But a political secretary in one embassy said it has dawned on the leaders of SADC who are on the verge of going to elections of their last terms of office, that they do not want to encourage their own successors to dump their political parties as Mutharika did in Malawi.
Mugabe who is seen by local Malawians as only a titular head following the formation of a unity government with Movement for Democratic Change, MDC was hissed at on entry and was openly booed with his host from the over-crammed 25,000- seater stadium in a show of disaffection with his presence in Malawi.
He was also here in May attending Mutharika’s inauguration. Mugabe is the most frequent visitor and a political buddy of Mutharika.
Some said they were tired with Mugabe while others said the relationship has become an obsession with Mutharika at the expense of the people in the eyes of the international community and in particular, Britain which gives Malawi the second largest chunk of development aid after Bangladesh.
However, there also concerns that Malawi will be seen as comforting the enemy in the eyes of the emerging new leaders who may not be kind to the existing relation.
In the madness-filled attacks against so-called white farm settlers, many of the 3 million Zimbabweans who trace their origins to Malawi were also victims of the extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, rape and torture from marauding Mugabe thugs in uniform and plain clothes.
Others said attended the celebrations for the love of football which was played at the end of long-winded political speeches where Mutharika and his officials took turns to vilify the opposition, in the fashion that his guest revered until he faced the reality that he cannot survive without the opposition.
Mugabe has been a source of mixed reaction in Malawi with protests from civil society and opposition followers removing his name from road furniture bearing his name.
However, Mutharika whose foreign policy favours close ties with China and countries such as Iran as opposed to major bilateral donors like Britain declared Mugabe his political “hero”.
Tagged with: 45th Malawi independence, Bingu, Mugabe, SADC
THIS IS RECKLESS REPORTING. WHERE IS YOUR PATRIOTISM? I DON’T SEE WHY YOU LINK MALAWI TO IRAN?
MUGABE MUST BE COMMENDED INSTEAD OF BEING CONDEMMED FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR 45TH INDEPENDENCE CEREBRATIONS
OTSUTSA MULIRA SIMUNATI.
I dont think reporting about Mugabe is something reckless. I think those who link and enjoy his presence need to have their morals questioned. We all know inhumanitarian treatedment Mugabe has given to his people in Zimbabwe. It is therefore so sickening to see someone applauding such a person. I think all those that applaud him are monsters. Mugabe ahould be condemned and not applauded for his monstrous actions.
Ulire ndiwe empty head who follow issues blindly, shame on you
As a matter of fact African leaders were coming from an AU meeting in Libya. How did u expect them to attend this function! Bingu himself didnt go to Libya because of his commitments !Zero pa naught! Get the fACTS right Nyasatimes! Mwateta apaaaaaaaaaaa!
Only castrated bulls think Mugabe is bad.Mugabe is the best thing to have ever existed in Africa and he places the white where they belong. These people stole our resources, sent us to useless wars and now they want to continue to occupy our land. This same imbalance is what is making Malawians poorer after 45 years of indepedence.
A Zuze ndinu osaganiza. Opusa inu ndithu. Kodi ku Portsmouth mukukhalako kulibe ma Zimbabwean oti muwafunse????
Do not complicate matters,poverty should not make you fall prey of the ‘whites’.Do not have basesless fear. The enermy of Britain is not our enemy.You will be srprised in future.
Most people forget that Mugabe’s real name is Matibili and his father was a Malawian who migrated to Zimbabwe and married a Shona woman named Bona from Zvimba and settled there. He left that family and settled in Bulawayo where he had asecond family and the kids named Matibili and they are in contact with their brother up to now and one of them is now a senior police officer( Commissioner). So when Mugabe comes over is coming to his ancetral home and who knows he has a lot of influence on what goes on. Just whatch your country go down the same way!!!!
Mugabe is an evil man. Look at the state of his country. Once thriving and prospering country, it has become a laughing stock. Hence thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to seek asylum in UK and US.
A friend of your friend is a friend where as the enemy of friend is an anemy who is a our friend Mugabe or Britain? I am sure the Azungus are more of our friends than this tyrant Mugabe. I would not invite some body who does not know how to respect human rights and rule of law to my birth day. But since birds of the feathers flock together Bingu and Mugabe do share common ideas, they both do not respect the rule of law neither do they respect others rights, but this is Malawi A bwana think twice. We shall not accept this Zimbwabwesim in this country. Can you read the writting on the way NO TO MUGABE? Is he the only man in this SADC or Africa why him only please if he came to ask for more maize on creidt which nobody knows exactly when they are going to pay back do it on the phones. We do not want disctares here who do not want others to rule just like the Muluzi.
KOMA AZIBAMBO ENA MUNANGOKHALA AZIBAMBO MULIBE NZERU MUNANGOKHALA AZIBAMBO, MUGABE IF HE IS AN ENEMY OF BRITISH DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE IS OUR ENEMY INU OPEPERA ETI. MUKUTI NDI WANKHAZA ANAYAMBA WACHITIRA NKHAZA NDANI MU FAMILY YANU ALL THIS BECAUSE YOU HATE ABINGU KOMA NDIYE SIMUNATI MUMINA ZENIZENI NDI UKHULUKU WANU OFUNA KUKOLOLA POSALIMA NTCHITO KUMANGOBELA ANTHU NDI ULAMULIRO WANU WA CHINYENGO KUYAMBIRA AMENE MUMAMUSAPOTAYO. A NYASATIME INGOSIYANI ZAKULEPHERANI. AFTER ALL THE BIBLE SAYS BLESS THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU IF EVER MUGABE HAS EVER MISTREATED YOU WHY NOT BLESSING HIM THEN. TWO WRONGS WILL NEVER MAKE A RIGHT OUTCOME AS SAID BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. VUTO LANU NDILAKUTI MUMAMWA MAGAZI A WANTHU. KOMA NDIYE MULUNGU ANAKUFULATILANI. BINGU IS A WISE LEADER WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. HE IS SO EDUCATED AND MALAWIANS LOVE HIM, KOMA NDIYE ANA AFALAO WHATELSE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR. THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE A VISION SO WITHOUT VISIONS PEOPLE PERISH.
Iwe “CHILUNGAMO”(??)…If Nyasa times has failed,..then wat r doin on a failures website,dont u have somethng betta to do????alaa!!……shupit ndithu,wamvera??