Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Zimbabwe: Mugabe fights dirty

Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube has been sued for adultery by the husband of his secretary. No sooner was the case filed than state media produced photographs allegedly taken by a hidden camera and purporting to show Ncube undressing and having sex with an unidentified woman.

The husband, by the way, is a railroad worker. Just how likely is it that he either knows how to handle a hidden camera or has the means to pay someone who does?

Ncube is denying the charges, but also spending a lot of time talking about "forgiveness". It's a pretty good bet he did what he's accused of.

While this probably makes him a lousy Catholic priest, it does not make him wrong in his harsh criticism of Mugabe and his government. One hopes Ncube is going to keep up the pressure, but its certain his voice will be somewhat diminished.

This is just the latest example of Mugabe's crushing of dissent. Political rival Morgan Tsvangirai spent more than a year in court, defending himself against treason charges. About the same time he was acquitted, he was jumped and beaten nearly to death by what had to have been government thugs.

The meltdown in Zimbabwe continues, although, I have to admit, more slowly than I expected. I had figured the wheels would be completely off by now and there would be rampaging violence in the streets. It certainly seems like that's still in the not-too-distant future, unless someone, somewhere nuts up and does something to prevent it.

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