But there is a very interesting chorus wafting across Africa's airwaves these days and Botswana's President Ian Khama is holding the bandleader's truncheon.

African presidents, with the exception of Mbeki, are now making pejorative remarks about the Zimbabwean dictator; remarks that nobody ever thought would be made by the current crop of leaders, considering the exaggerated awe and garish reverence African presidents used to bestow on Mugabe.

While some continue to hum, others are not only singing out loud but are putting it in writing. The anti-Mugabe verbal barrage is picking up momentum.

"When I hear these people trying to demonise President Mugabe, I say you can't demonise a leader of the liberation struggle and expect support from us. You are just stupid," that was Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in April 2005.

Museveni, one of Mugabe's staunchest supporters and who was then on a state visit to Zimbabwe, went on to say that elections were the bane of African governments and added that elections were a very bad idea that Africans should not bother with.

"Regime change does not work in Africa and Britain is responsible for some of the continent's troubles," he declared.

Even early this year, Museveni accepted accolades heaped on him by a fellow despot, Libyan Muammar al-Gaddafi.

Putting Museveni on the same pedestal with Mugabe, Gaddaffi said leaders like Museveni and Mugabe should be allowed to rule forever.

"In Uganda we have Museveni, in Zimbabwe, we have Mugabe. They are real African leaders," Gaddaffi said when he visited Uganda in March this year. "They are serious. They should stay. Such leaders should not go. They should not be disturbed by elections."

Less than two weeks after this obviously stupid praise singing, Botswana had a new president, Ian Khama, who jolted SADC and its Chairman, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, into action by demanding that the situation in Zimbabwe be addressed.

Mwanawasa had, at one time, likened the situation in Zimbabwe to that of the Titanic.

He now has company.

For the last several weeks, the Botswana government has been leading an onslaught on Mugabe, particularly over the meaningless arrests and violence against innocent civilians.

For some time now, every week Botswana has been sending signed statements to media houses denouncing specific events in Zimbabwe during the previous week.

This, I am afraid to say, is unheard of in Africa. And it's welcome.

All of a sudden, South Africa's Thabo Mbeki appears outdated and well overtaken by events as, one by one, African leaders accept the reality in Zimbabwe and are now speaking out.

"If he loses elections he must go. How can you stay without winning elections? It's impossible," Uganda's Yoweri Museveni told the BBC's Network Africa programme this week, arguing that it is important for Mugabe to have "the permission of the population" if he's to stay at the helm.

Fresh from a visit to South Africa, Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, reiterated his criticism of African leaders and their silence on Mugabe.

"It is a grave indictment on our leadership that an African country can hold elections and fail to announce results for one month yet no country raises a finger. We must learn to own our problems and take responsibility," Odinga said. "How do you conduct a re-run when you do not even have the results?"

Odinga said Mbeki should speak more strongly against what he called 'impunity in Zimbabwe.'

"Zimbabwe is an eyesore on the African continent," he said on Tuesday. "I'm sad that so many heads of state in Africa have remained quiet when disaster is looming in Zimbabwe."
Odinga went further and urged Mugabe to step down.

Seeing that many sitting presidents still drag their feet when it comes to what is happening in Zimbabwe, a group of former African presidents were signatories to a letter demanding "an end to violence and intimidation...".

"We are deeply troubled by the current reports of intimidation, harassment and violence," say the leaders in an open letter published on Friday.

Some of the signatories include one time Mugabe friends and supporters like Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania and Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique.

It also has signatures of those who suffered in silence, like Botswana's Ketumile Masire and his successor, Festus Mogae.

Yet were it not for the likes of Mkapa and Chissano, Mugabe might not have gone as far as he has. They are clearly partly responsible for the chaos in Zimbabwe because their support and silence as Mugabe increased his murderous reign encouraged him.

Regrettably, it was the political etiquette of African leaders in those degenerate days.

But see where we are now.

Be that as it may, even though some of the signatories are former heads of state, their statement puts some pressure on current presidents of their respective countries not to accept what Mugabe is doing and to say it out loud. The African presidents are assaulting Mbeki's 'silent diplomacy'.

Ian Khama is not bothered, he started the whole thing but, for example, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Armando Geubuza of Mozambique cannot keep quiet anymore after their predecessors have come out in the open against Mugabe.

Mbeki has been mutedly expressing token concern over the violence being perpetrated by Mugabe for some time but even so, his own emissaries' reports of gross abuse and murder of innocent people do not seem to move him.

What is it that Mugabe is holding over Mbeki that forces Mbeki, having ascended to such a lofty position of power, not to worry about his own legacy, especially considering that he hardly achieved anything worthy of mention?

Is it possible that Mugabe is blackmailing Mbeki about something nobody knows about...yet?

Or is it that Mbeki is teaching us that regardless of the number of people a friend hacks to death, a friend remains more important than self?

Yes, I declare, evil is intelligent.