Mbeki's silence destabalizes a region

South Africa's Thabo Mbeki has long has resisted international pressure to intervene more directly in the Zimbabwe crisis. He maintains that Zimbabwe's crisis is merely an internal dispute. Everybody in the SADC regions knows this is an absolute joke, as millions of Zimbabweans have poured out of Zimbabwe into neighboring countries in an effort to escape physical violence and economic disaster. Zimbabwe's crisis has been an international disaster from day 1.

Mbeki's innaction over Zimbabwe is beginning to fragment the SADC block. Botswana is taking steps to close off the Zimbabwe border and may soon terminate official relations with Zimbabwe. Zambia has also threatened such measures in the past. Other nations in the SADC region are split on their own courses of action, as the indisputed leader in the region, South Africa, has failed at marking a clear cut path out of the crisis. Even Mbeki's closest advisors have admitted that they are unsure of Mbeki's plans.

Yes, Thabo, HIV causes AIDS. Yes Thabo, Mugabe is a tyrant. It's time to accept reality.