For almost 30 years we have read about – and experienced - Mugabe’s lies and double standards. He will spin whoever will listen a line and expects that once he has stated his case, that it is accepted as the truth, no matter what.

But a simple look at his practise proves beyond any doubt that he is not to be trusted, and not everything that he states is to be believed.

The land grab is possibly one of his biggest lies. I fully understand the feeling that the land apportionment question need redressing, but Mugabe sells it to the free world as a return of the land to the ‘landless blacks’, and then, having seized the land, he hands it to his loyalists, most of whom have full time jobs within government and the security forces, know nothing of farming and have no intention of working the land.

As a direct result of the land grab, the agricultural sector within Zimbabwe has all but collapsed. The country can no longer feed itself. The farm workforce has found itself out of a job, unable to sustain their families and now without much of a future.

Then there is the manner in which he looks upon the regional body, SADC. The body has ordered Mugabe to pay farmers compensation as the land that his people seized was protected by a SADC order. Mugabe’s answer? He ignored the order and no one seems to have the guts to confront him on this stance.

But, when SADC make a ruling or reach a consensus which suits Mugabe, then that is acceded to - with some alacrity! For example, the formation of the ‘unity government with Mugabe as President was moved on, for ZANU PF at least, within days once SADC had their say.

The diamond fields in the eastern Highlands are another problem area for me. Mugabe’s party says that no one has been shot dead by the army and air force in the fields - yet we keep reading eye witness accounts of the killings.

The governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has quantified the loss every week of diamonds in carats. Where has all the money gone, considering that the fields are run by big names in Mugabe’s party?

Mugabe claims that Zimbabwe is a democracy. He claims that he was elected into office in a ‘free and fair’ election - one which saw members of Tsvangirai’s MDC faction beaten, abducted, arrested, arraigned and murdered. Tsvangirai then withdrew from the election, leaving Mugabe to claim ‘victory’ in a one man sham election… So much for ‘democracy’.

Mugabe and his courtiers are subject to international travel sanctions which prevent them, as individuals to travel to numerous countries, and also render illegal any business deals with these people or their companies.

Mugabe is furious about this and almost daily maintains that the sanctions so imposed are full economic sanctions and are illegal.

Having sent Tsvangirai on a mission to beg money from the West, Mugabe has sent his own entourage to the East to obtain financial favours - and openly admits that the money so garnered will be for his ZANU PF party, not the country which is in dire need of financial assistance.

Mugabe will spend whatever time he has left on this earth telling untruths and lies. He sees nothing wrong with it as he abides by one rule only: “Mugabe is right, even if he is wrong”.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man