This paralysis eventually acquired a name: it became known as South Africa's "quiet diplomacy". Meanwhile, Mugabe went about systematically terrorising the supporters of the opposition, the agents of the African Renaissance and wrecked his country's economy, with predictable results. A quarter of Zimbabwe's people fled to neighbouring countries, that is, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, but especially to its bigger and richer neighbour, South Africa.
The South African government estimates that between two and three-million Zimbabweans now live in SA, mainly as illegal immigrants. Let us imagine that as a result of certain actions by a Chinese government, 100-million Chinese took flight to India, another 100-million poured into Russia and a further 100-million into Japan. If this were to happen between China and its three neighbours, the outcome would be predictable. Japan, India and Russia would form a military alliance and in no time their armies would force out the offending regime in Beijing.
