Thousands were press-ganged by rent-a-crowd tactics but unfortunately there was no Coke or sticky bun this time just a flag. Worse, none of the press ganged were taken back to where they had been lifted from, just left to foot it. If mugabe was jailed and went through all kinds of "hell" then he should have stayed there, if his way of ruling a country and people over the last 28 years is anything to go by. He was past his sell-by date years ago and it is just a pity the stench hasn't brought in the pest control. "Elections" are in the offing you can only imagine the horror of intimidation being handed out to terrified, starving Zimbabweans, his own people. Dec 12, 07 marks the day we left Zim after 40 years - like every true Zimbabwean of every colour, we wish we could turn the clock back. You go to prison for robbing a bank or murder what do you get for robbing country or genocide? 5* hotels, swanky dinners in a designer suit on a world stage by the looks of it. Amazing!

Su, Dallas, Texas,

THE MILLION MAN FARCE

Someone has to give President Mugabe an Award for Showmanship. The so called Million man March held on Friday 30th of November was another example of the President’s deliberate campaign to show the rest of the world how much support he really commands from his people. The same poor rural people who were rounded up in buses and army trucks, forced to march the streets of Harare some barefoot and on empty stomachs, and then made to listen to the speaker after speaker saying that the real enemy was the opposition….and of course the British Government. They called it a solidarity march in support of Mugabe.

Some may ask…who in their right mind would support a President like Mugabe? Well it’s simple enough. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world, an unofficial estimate of up to 15000percent, and unemployment is up to 80percent.These unemployed people will do absolutely anything to get something to eat before the end of the day. All it takes is for a few soldiers to round up these poor people and with the promise of first preference when food aid is distributed, free t-shirts; they are turned into murderers and ruthless persecutors of the opposition. Obviously those who don’t accept such a ‘generous’ offer are beaten up till they see the light, then made to carry out these campaigns. This is how Mugabe has managed to hold on for so long, by creating a situation where he is the better devil. Although any sensible person can see through his demeanour, the man still manages to stay in power and run the country into the ground at the same time.

The Million Man March was a way of showing the British government that Mugabe still has the support of his people and of other countries in the international community, since he has already been invited to the EU summit in Lisbon. The fact that the Prime Minister is boycotting the summit if Mugabe attends has added fuel to Mugabe’s absurd idea that Britain is trying to recolonize Zimbabwe and this immediately struck a chord with the war veterans who fought for the country. Unfortunately the fruits of the liberation struggle are only tasted by those closest and dearest to Mugabe.

All in all, the march represents all that is wrong in Zimbabwe, poverty, unemployment, corruption and intimidation. With the 2008 elections looming, as a member of the MDC, I feel that the only hope is that these marchers should play Mugabe at his own game and vote the evil dictator out, that is, if the election itself is free and fair.

Thando Sibanda

Thando Sibanda, London, United Kingdom

Well, good luck is all I can Say BJ! Mugabe passed his sell-by date a long time ago, and he is beginning to smell more and more. The other African leaders are just afrais that they don't have much more legitimacy than he does, and they are afraid they might end up suffering whatever fate he does, even though they are not guilty of anything near what he is. But they are more likely to suffer his fate by being accessories before and/or after the fact. It is true that Mugabe went through all sorts of hell while the whites were in power and he deserves credit, but he did not go through all that to bring about the sort of conditions he has created now.

Christopher Hobe Morrison, Pine Bush, Ulster County, NY, USA