A Diseased Regime

Judging by recent news reports of the situation in Zimbabwe, it’s hard to believe that just six months ago this was a country about which many felt hopeful. Last spring, Zimbabwe seemed on the verge of democratically removing the dictator Robert Mugabe from power: Elections had just taken place, and there was evidence that Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the country’s largest opposition power, had been victorious. But Mugabe’s network of corruption was too strong to let that happen. After a slew of election recounts, much posturing, and, no doubt, vast amounts of behind-the-scenes violence and threats, Tsvangirai was essentially forced to withdraw from the election.

This month, the tyrannical Mugabe is still ruling Zimbabwe, and unsurprisingly, the country is on the verge of collapse. A cholera epidemic has swept through Zimbabwe, crippling its resources. This week, water was shut off from the capital city. In addition to creating a lack of supplies, the disease outbreak has incited violence in the streets. Last week, the government arrested several prominent Zimbabwean human rights activists after they helped carry out protests against Zimbabwe’s worsening economic and health crises. The death toll is edging toward a thousand people, and tens of thousands more have fallen ill. Zimbabwe has declared the events a national emergency.

Fortunately, the Zimbabwean government has been open to aid from Western organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO), which has maintained a team in the region for several years, has been allowed to step up its efforts in light of the crisis. We are glad that this immediate aid from the WHO is being delivered to Zimbabweans. However, regardless of what aid is made available, this crisis merely serves as a reminder that Zimbabwe is in need of new leadership. The country has a problem that goes far beyond a disease outbreak: Mugabe is a corrupt and dangerous dictator, and he must go. Even if the cholera epidemic eases—and hopefully it will—the world must not let this tragedy pass without increasing pressure on Mugabe to abdicate power.

Although we encourage and applaud Western efforts to lend relief to this troubling situation, those actions are not enough. Seeds of change are more likely to be successful if sewn closer to the root of the problem. To this end, the African Union (AU) ought to play a larger role in quelling this crisis. Zimbabwe is a member of the AU, and the peace-promoting body has made Zimbabwe and Mugabe’s questionable regime focal points of debate for much of the last decade. At an AU summit earlier this year, a handful of member-states called for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the AU. Yet by the end of the summit, the AU had failed to pass any strong sanctions against Zimbabwe, and instead merely resolved that the country’s two major parties ought to come together and negotiate their differences.

The AU has specifically stated that force should not be used in ousting Mugabe. While we admire this aspiration toward diplomacy, we believe that in this case the sentiment is ill-advised. Thousands of Zimbabweans continue to suffer and die at the hands of Mugabe’s terrible regime, in part because of the AU’s refusal to step in. The AU as a whole would do well to reconsider.

Additionally, those pushing for regime change in Zimbabwe ought to look to South Africa for help in this struggle. South Africa wields a great deal of influence given its geographic proximity to Zimbabwe, as well as its role as an economic power in the region. The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa, has been slow to respond to the crisis in Zimbabwe. Only in light of the recent news of the cholera outbreak has the ANC acknowledged the problem, declaring that the parties in Zimbabwe ought to work toward unity. But as with the reaction by the AU, this attitude is insufficient. South Africa must take direct action.

In short, a change in direction is long overdue in Zimbabwe, and the coming weeks and months are critically important in the struggle for that change. The problem is much bigger than an unchecked disease outbreak—it is the problem of a diseased and unchecked government. Leaders from the West, as well as critically important bodies in Africa, must come together and proclaim a message loudly: Zimbabwe is in trouble, its people are suffering, and Robert Mugabe has got to go. And until signs materialize that this reform is taking place, we need all hands on deck.