The Australian
The Sightgeist, by Jon KudelkaÂ
27 August 2011
DAVID Coltart is one of the bravest men I’ve met. He is a senator from Zimbabwe — the only white man in Robert Mugabe’s cabinet — and he was in Australia recently as the guest of the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, where he delivered the annual Acton lecture on religion and freedom at Parliament House.
The place was jam-packed, no doubt because Coltart is one of the very few people who takes on Mugabe, who is rather fond of sending the police to arrest him. Ironically enough, he sends them to the senator’s home in a white Landrover supplied by the British government. Mind you, it was only recently that Mugabe and his new, young, spendthrift wife — she who loves nothing more than a whiff of an expensive shop — spent some nights at Buckingham Palace.
Of course the odds are Her Majesty and Mugabe have met on more than one occasion, given he runs a Commonwealth country. Indeed, I’ve had my own semi-brush with him.
Mugabe was in China when I was sent there 25 years ago to cover the Queen’s visit to that country. There were a few rough edges to be smoothed out. The Chinese powers that be provided the royal couple with a car and they put in tinted windows because they assumed she would want to keep to herself. Au contraire. What is the point of being a queen if you can’t give a plethora of grand little waves from the back seat? So transparent windows became the order of the day.
Mugabe, who was wandering around with his bodyguards, was a bit nervous about the fact the Chinese have a longstanding love of firecrackers. They are a celebration of life, and the populace went a bit mad when Her Maj was visiting. This was not good news for Mugabe’s bodyguards. Every time a cracker went off they would have to push their boss over and throw themselves on to his prostrate body in case the “pop” was an assassination attempt.
I bumped into three of his guards at an airport in China and they were exhausted and as stiff as three boards. They also had to stay with him at night: one in the bath, one under the bed and one in the bed. Well, OK, I made that one up but it was entirely possible. What a job!
All those years ago, of course, Mugabe wasn’t so on the nose internationally. He still had hero status, having been a staunch supporter of the anti-apartheid movement. That said, this time last year when I was visiting South Africa, there was a meeting of black African leaders in Johannesburg and Mugabe and Muammar Gaddafi were given standing ovations when they entered the hall. It was the Africans cocking a snook at the West.
It was fascinating to hear Coltart’s outstanding analysis of the status quo in Zimbabwe and it was also an eye-opener to recognise several self-confirmed atheists present who were clearly impressed. Coltart, you see, believes strongly in God and is also adamant that God is working very hard at saving mankind. Blessed are the peacemakers, Coltart says, and he believes the West is suffering God’s wrath because it does not acknowledge Biblical truths.
If you weren’t there you can get a full account of the evening — not only of the speech but of the questions and answers after he had done his bit — by going to the CIS website.
Zimbabweans, black and white, live in a country that can be hellish, but they show much fortitude and sang froid. I’ve recently been reading a book written by journalist Douglas Rogers. Living in London, he phoned home from a friend’s birthday party in Europe when he heard a white farmer had been murdered and Mugabe was threatening to take away land from the majority of white farmers: a clear case of the oppressed becoming the oppressors.
His mother answered the phone and sounded very stressed. He pictured her and his father barricaded in the house with a mob at the door.’
“What’s happening Mum, what’s happening?” “We’ve already lost four wickets.” “Four whats?” “Four wickets darling. Not going very well at all. It’s 91 for four!”
“Jeez, Ma. Not the cricket. The farm! Have you any idea what’s going on there?” “Oh that,” she finally said. “Yes, well, it doesn’t look very good, does it? I guess we’re just going to wait and see.”
The son told them to pack up and lie low and get out. “Darling,” she said, “don’t be ridiculous. We are Zimbabweans.
“This is our land.”