Lessons from the Angolan Civil war for the coming Zimbabwean Civil War

[AriseSouthAfrica]

Learning Lessons from the Angolan Civil war in preparation for the coming Zimbabwean Civil War
By: Jan Lamprecht

Zimbabweans must not concern themselves too much whether Mugabe and his assorted scum manage to steal another election. Their day will come.

I was reading Fred Brigland's book on the Angolan Civil war and how that escalated into the biggest war ever fought in Southern Africa.

I do believe that Zimbabwe brings together a similar situation.

It is one of these pivotal countries which has so many strategic factors in it that it will suck in many players.

But there is one lesson to learn from Angola.

The Americans had a look in Angola in the early days when the Marxist MPLA had won. Then the Russians sent in their proxies the Cubans.

Jonas Savimbi and UNITA were not achieving much.

The American CIA came and took a look at the situation and they concluded that the whole war was a lost cause. They wanted nothing to do with Savimbi and UNITA.

The Europeans reached the same conclusion.

Jonas Savimbi and his handful of supporters slunk away into the remote bush. Quietly they organised themselves and began their fight. Quietly... South Africa snuck in to help them because their fight had benefits for South Africa.

Years later... after Savimbi and his people had worked and fought by themselves and had proven themselves to be a factor, the Americans were back and were suddenly supporting them.

The lesson is this:
The Americans and Europeans only want to back winners.

While you are losing, expect nothing from them. Pick up the pieces, do your bit and fight on. Fight on, and struggle on against all the odds.

But remember that in history, the power of the PERSONALITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL has changed history many times. SO *NEVER GIVE UP*.

It appears to me that for us to learn POLITICAL MATURITY, we need to learn to fight on unceasingly for the values we hold dear. Just do not stop. Fight with your mouth. Fight with political ideas. Convince your fellows. Argue with people. Reason with people. But remember one rule: NEVER QUIT.

Eventually, the day will come when we, the "termites" will be able to break those who currently are in power. Just a short while back a Zimbabwean artist did a painting of "The Termite Revolution". In the end... The Termites cannot be stopped.

There are ideas that must be fought for. There are values we must fight for or else there is no future for us.

I do not believe much in running away any more. We need to fight back ever more and more.

But do not concern yourselves with the Super-powers and the West. They vacillate. They only deal with winners or those they PERCEIVE AS WINNERS. Until you reach a certain point, they will do nothing for you. They will write you off. But they are also a weak sort of people too, who will negotiate with the Devil at the drop of a hat. Today they'll negotiate with this Devil and tomorrow with that Devil. They do not care too much about ideology. They just want to deal with whoever is in control.

So do not let their lack of hard support concern you.

When they finally conclude that they think you stand a chance of winning they'll be falling over themselves to give you the cash you need. Then they'll be all friendly, and will enquire about your health and will invite you for tea!

Do not concern yourself with their vacillations... do not concern yourself with their support or begging for it. They will come knocking on your door the day they perceive that you will win. Then they'll give you money and put you on planes and will fly you around and will give you expensive suits.

Don't be in a rush to fall at their feet and beg like a dog. Keep your pride. One day they'll be smiling, laughing and writing out those cheques. Then you'll know you've won.

We must all slog forward because the sheer evil that lies latent in Harare and in Pretoria needs to be cajoled out into the open for all to see. Then those Americans and Europeans will express various amounts of "surprise" that this can be so and that they did not expect it.

My message is: DON'T GIVE UP. JUST KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

In the end, we will win.

By: Jan Lamprecht