Zimbabwe was, second to South Africa, the most industrialized and thriving member of the Southern African Economic Community (SADCC). Mugabe, a shrewd politician amassed power in the name of the Shona majority ethnic group. The minority party led by Joshua Nkomo was ousted out of political power sharing. Mugabe’s communist party, ZANU-Patriotic Fronts’ leadership has brought the country to total colapse within 26 years. The patriotic fronts proved good in the wild woods as gorrillas not as rational political leaders to take the nation to the new century. We cannot discount is struggle for independance for which we immensely grateful. But now they should retire to die in dignity.

Now both Mengistu and Mugabe being well-intentioned nationalist leaders should apologise to their people for their ruthlessness and mismangement. We, Africans are forgiving people. We have forgiven our colonizers and enslavers. Why not our own criminals who did not know any better? I think that is the way to go forward for the continent. Otherwise the continent will left out bleeding and languishing in poverty. This is especially indespensable as the world is regroupping to economic and political and regional blocks. Only a united and strong Africa can encounter the economic giants such as China, Europe and India in the future. Ethnicism and nationalism are soon going to be outmoded.

Let us work for peace and reconciliation and unity amidst diversity and other conceivable challenges of our time.

God bless Africa.