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 African leaders should be brutally honest in criticising heads of government who drag their countries down  

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Zimbabwe should be a powerhouse in Africa but its stagnant political leadership under President Robert Mugabe is holding it back, good governance advocate Mo Ibrahim said.

The founder of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance told AFP that Zimbabweans needed to “get their act together” if the country headed by 88-year-old Mugabe was to end its political impasse and move forward.

And African leaders should be brutally honest in criticising heads of government who drag their countries down, the Sudan-born telecoms tycoon said.

He was speaking after his foundation announced that for the third time in four years it would not award its Prize for Achievement in African Leadership — the world’s biggest individual prize — as no suitable candidates were found.

Ibrahim said: “Zimbabwe should have been a success story. It is a wonderful country with wonderful resources but unfortunately is at a political impasse. That is really a problem.

“We really hope the Zimbabwean people will somehow come together to resolve this impasse and enable the country to move forward.

“It’s unfortunate to have this kind of stagnation in the political scene which is affecting the performance of the country.

“The Zimbabwean people are among some of the best-educated Africans and very enterprising. So let’s hope that they get their act together and somehow we see Zimbabwe rising again.” 

A shaky power-sharing government was formed in 2009 following violent polls. Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai struck a deal to avoid a tip into a full-fledged conflict.

“The past generation, most African leaders came from freedom-fighting, liberation movements. A good fighter is not necessarily a good governor. It takes different skills to run a country,” Ibrahim said.

Zimbabwe ranked 47th out of 52 African countries in the 2012 Ibrahim Index unveiled Monday, with a score of 34 out of 100 — making it the worst-performing country in the otherwise high-ranking southern Africa.

Ibrahim said there was a “collegiate atmosphere” among African leaders where they do not criticise one another publicly.

“We hope this is changing. We need to have the courage to stand up and say look, this is wrong,” he said.

“If you look in a mirror and see an ugly face, maybe you are really ugly. It’s not the fault of the mirror. We need to be a little bit more brutal in order to move forward. We need more honesty to say the tough things.

“We should be free to really say the truth wherever it is needed.”

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Sat May 25 13:14:51 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 16, 2012

warry

Education doesn't mean you will be a better leader.
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Oct 16, 2012

THEmadame2B-BBEE

the mirror does lie, depends on the positioning of the mirror, the angle in which the mirror has a reflection of your image and light, we all know that is there is no light you can't see your image on the mirror clearly....so to conclude on this essay the mirror DOES LIE
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Oct 16, 2012

Pointman

I know some Zimbabweans and I know how they are suffering. They cannot wait for Mugabe to die. There will be celebrations in private when he does eventually keel over - not a nice way to go. For SAPS, a Zimbabwe bus is a moving ATM - even if the travel documents are legitimate, they threaten to confiscate the papers if a bribe is not paid - shameless - ubuntu is dead.
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Oct 16, 2012

Chichi7

I so agree with this article. African leaders are always walking on egg shells and never want to face reality and tell each other the truth let alone face the truth themselves.
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Oct 16, 2012

MommaC

The problem is far bigger than Mad Bob. The senile old coot hasn't had anything to do with the running (or should that be ruining) of the country for decades now. His warlords are the problem. It is the well hidden snake in control, not the bumbling old figurehead
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Oct 16, 2012

guiliano

Ibrahim should keep his foundation and I will keep my Zimbabwe.
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Oct 16, 2012

oldlady12

The BEE Madam, that is the story the clothing stores tell you, my dear. "No lady, your but.t isn't really that big, it's just the mirrors and lighting in the cubicles" to get you to still buy the article.
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Oct 16, 2012

!!!Sinudeity!!!

guiliano - You mean he will keep his millions of dollars and you will keep your poverty.
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Oct 16, 2012

Shredder

This boy is so cute. Face of innocence. These are the things that make one say "come LORD Jesus".
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Oct 16, 2012

Shredder

@warry - Education doesn't mean you will be a better leader.
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Meaning? Don't be shy, say it.
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