TEARS OF DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA

AUTHOR:PITILOSI MDALA

Africa is the second largest continent in the family of creation. It is the second world’s largest
continent 11,677,239sq mi in area, including offshore islands, about 10% of the world land area, a
land of tropical forests, grasslands, and deserts, famous for big games. It was perhaps man’s first
home and was the cradle of the black people. Since the 1950s the new nations of Africa have seen
great social and political change and have formed a new force in world politics while struggling to
develop their often rich resources.

In Africa the gap between the rich and the poor is so wide more than Indian ocean. This is so
because there is no unity and peace in Africa due to corrupt political leaders, religion leaders. They
are busy enriching them serves. Under paying of employees, killing of human rights activists and the
use of guns to gain more powers, abuse of human rights such as teaching the youths witchcraft ,
supplying guns to the youths to rob and kill people in cites and threatening the lives of people living
in skwatas .It is now becoming lawlessness and disorder because even police officers are easily
bribed by rich gangsters because they are under paid. This gangsters supply guns, marijuana in
commercial cities and towns. In suburbs children smoke marijuana at the age of five years. These
youths are told to vandalise water pipes , electricity tools and road signs which has result into fatal
roads accident on the roads of Africa.

Democracy, system of government which recognises the right of all members of society to influence
political decisions, either direct or indirect. Direct democracy, in which political decisions are made
by the whole citizen body meeting together, is only possible where the population is small. In Africa
all we see, all I can see is blood tears of democracy flowing in big rivers such as Zambezi river from
its source in north west Zambia passing through Zambia and Zimbabwe boarders through
Mozambique entering the Mozambique channel a 2,500sq mi delta. There is tears of blood, crying
for democracy in Nile river, there is tears of democracy flowing like fresh water in the Shire river. In
African democracy has resulted into leaders hanging to power, several amendments of the public
constitution to allow them to stay in power , to expand their terms in office which is not happening
in America because they agreed on that long time ago that maximum ten years for the president to
serve the nation. African leaders why they refuse to leave the presidency and resort to government
of national unity where conflict of interest is creating and widening the gap between the poor and
the rich. Maximum of ten years it means the incumbent is not allowed to contest in presidential
elections. This ten years is divided into two terms or into two halves ,after five years the nation
conducts general elections. It can happen that the incumbent lost after serving five years. He / she
must accept that the wish of his fellow country men rather than ousted or topped by angry young
men .The ousting of some leaders in Africa has ended into sanction from donors , punishing all the
people in that particular country because of two greedy men. Let us work hand in hand to narrow
the gap between the rich and the poor.
Outside the economically developed southern and parts of the north, most African nations are part
of the technologically developing third world. Their agriculture mainly involves subsistence, raising
or growing of maize, millet, sorghum, cassava etc, or nomadic cattle herding and there are
commercial tea, coffee, cocoa, and citrus plantations geared to world markets. Africa provides one –
twentieth of the world’s minerals. These includes gold, and diamonds from south Africa, chrome and
copper from Zimbabwe, uranium and copper from Zaire, uranium from Malawi. Oil from Nigeria,
Libya and Algeria. In most parts of sub –Saharan region industrialisation lags, mainly through
insufficient capital, skilled labour and home markets, lack of a comprehensive rail or surface road
network and other transportation problems. The continent mainly exports tropical crops and
minerals, to import machinery and manufactured goods.

All is not lost because other countries has recovered from their past hardships. For example.
Mozambique after passing through drought which created acute food shortages in the late
1970s.There economy also suffered at that time as result of Mozambique’s support for Zimbabwe
nationalists during Rhodesian war. Since independence, Mozambique has been plagued by famine
and civil war. The Mozambique National Resistance or Renamo , supported by right-wing sources in
south Africa and united states of America waged a campaign of mindless destruction and violence to
undermine the leftist government. Other bandits added to anarchy in the countryside that uprooted
more than one million people and halted food production by perhaps two million farmers. The
wounds affected and infected the small scale farmers because of land mines scattered on the good
arable lands like mustard seeds on the nursery bed. The youth in Africa of are trained how to fly
during night and torture others while sleeping , others are kidnapped and forced to join gangsters .

Countries such as Rwanda , and Liberia are tying to recover from their past atrocities but cases of
corruption going on. The executive intimidating the electoral commissions, the dismissing of high
court judges without explaining why.

We need divine power from God to wipe all tears of democracy in Africa . Despite the presence of
the ant corruption bureaus cases of corruptions and bribes are rampant in Africa . These bureaus are
working under the influence of the executive side. Why arresting opposition members only or is
corruption practiced by opposition members only . Look this has created enmity between the
government and opposition members and their supporters .Cases of rape and defilement member
of women guild teaching children witchcraft , pastors going out with a choir mistress what a shame!

Tears of democracy in Africa . Crying for African leaders to be real . The growing of child labour ,
human trafficking and pirates in some parts of the continent threatening foreign traders .Early
marriages characterises democracy in Africa .
Indeed Africa is a battle field of democracy and autocracy system of governments .