ELECTIONS & RIOTS: Fifty people have been killed in anti-foreigner riots in Johannesburg, South Africa. Violence across the border in Zimbabwe also escalates as the country prepares for a contentious presidential run-off election.

The South African riots target mainly immigrants from Zimbabwe who have left their own country to look for work. Zimbabwe's economy is in a shambles and upcoming elections threaten to oust President Robert Mugabe. According to reports, Mugabe's party is reacting to the threat of defeat by abducting, torturing and even killing supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Two Countries Linked by Political Tension

Mugabe in Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe has been the president of Zimbabwe since 1980. Economic conditions under his tenure worsened so much that his party, ZANU-PF, lost the March 29 presidential elections. The government refused to release the election results for five weeks. It then claimed that neither Mugabe nor his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai received more than 50% of the vote, requiring a run-off election scheduled for June 27.

There's a serious chance that the MDC will win the election and defeat 84-year-old Mugabe. If Mugabe loses, there could be a military coup to put him back in power—and that could lead to civil war.

In a report released May 21, Solidarity Peace Trust (SPT), a human rights non-governmental organization, said, "There needs to be a general recognition that Zimbabwe is sinking fast into the conditions of a civil war, propelled largely by the increasing reliance on violence by the ruling party to stay in power. A run-off of the Presidential election in the current environment is neither practical nor desirable." (IRIN, 5/25/08)

The SPT requested South African President Thabo Mbeki step in and mediate the disagreements between the two parties.

Mbeki in South Africa

But in South Africa, Mbeki faces increasing discontent from his own people. They see him as too distanced from the riots in Johannesburg that began May 11 and have left 50 dead and 25,000 displaced.

Saturday thousands marched and demonstrated against the xenophobic violence. Then next day, an editorial in the Sunday Times called on Mbeki to resign.

"Mbeki has failed this nation many times in his nine-year rule—on health, crime and international influence.... Now he has shown himself to be not only uncaring, but utterly incompetent," said the newspaper's editors. "Either he will not lead or he cannot lead. Whichever is the case, the conclusion is the same: he must go." (The Times, 5/25/08)

Blame the Economy (Unless You're the Government)

A common thread running through reports about the unrest in both countries is the shape of their economies.

• In South Africa, 25% of people are out of work.
• In Zimbabwe, 80% of people are unemployed.
• Both countries face food and fuel shortages.
• The inflation rate in Zimbabwe is 165,000%—imagine a dozen eggs costing $2 today and $330,000 next May!
• In South Africa, food prices jumped more than 15% last month.
• In South Arica, 10% of the population earn more than 50% of the income; the poorest 40% earn less than 7%.

But those in power give other explanations for their countries' unrest:

• The South African government blames criminals, specifically those linked to former apartheid security forces.
• The Zimbabwe government blames its problems on Western saboteurs.

Copyright © 2009 Informify

Sources

Mugabe changes tactics ahead of run-off election (Reuters, 5/25/08)

ZIMBABWE: Threat of coup, martial law, or even war - ICG (IRIN, 5/25/08)

ANALYSIS-Poverty a recipe for wider South Africa unrest (Reuters, 5/23/08)

Mr President: Please stand down now (The Times, 5/25/08)

Question for Readers:

What would your reaction be if inflation was at the Zimbabwe level in America?