Africa is regressing
Mmegi Editor | Thursday June 29, 2017 11:25
We should all panic when people like Rra Gaone leave this world for they were our only hope for a better Africa.
Botswana was at one point referred to as Africa’s beacon of democracy under the leadership of Rre Masire and his successor Dr Festus Mogae.
They tolerated dissent. They knew how to engage their opponents without using economic strings to control people to get them in line. During his eight years as President, Ian Khama’s policies and laws are all formulated around his personal views and tastes, and he has constantly ignored dissenting voices even from within his party. The President is currently working hard to commit P15 billion to procure fighter jets that will likely spend the next two decades unused.
The Botswana scenario is just the tip of the iceberg. In neighbouring Zambia, the opposition leader is languishing in jail on trumped up treason charges emanating from his refusal to give way for President Edgar Lungu when they were travelling to the same place to address political rallies.
In South Africa, the foundation that was laid down by former President Nelson Mandela, and later reinforced by his successor Thabo Mbeki, has been eroded with rampant corruption now ruling the roost, whilst service delivery is a thing of the past. There, President Jacob Zuma is accused of disregarding the country’s laws and democratic principles to advance the interests of a few individuals in his inner-circle.
Zimbabwe on the other hand has not enjoyed political stability for more than 16 years at the hands of the 93-year-old Robert Mugabe who still believes that he is the only person who has a solution to the problems be-deviling the country. He is not going to give way for his countrymen to run the country better in the near future and intends to die while in office.
When the chairperson of Mo Ibrahim Foundation took to the podium to pay tribute to Masire at yesterday’s memorial service, he stated that Africa is facing a serious deficit in quality leaders. He could not have said it at the right time. We are facing a serious crisis on the continent and international bodies such as African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Committee (SADC) are not doing enough to curb dictatorship, corruption, and human rights abuses.
The continent is regressing despite the presence of these organisations and we are extremely worried about what the future holds for the youth of this continent. It is high time AU and SADC introspect and see if they are really helping the continent or if they have been reduced to mere recreational clubs proving to serve the interests of the most useless, corrupt and selfish leaders of our time.
Today’s thought
“Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It’s self-defense. It’s patriotism.”
- Joe Biden