Today’s DomPost editorial bemuses me. Another recital of the blindingly obvious, that Mugabe is a goon, that Mbeki has propped him up for years, and that we won’t think Mbeki is very nice if he keeps it up.

But nothing to make this relevant to NZ. Not even a question whether there could be lessons for us in the in the “disapointment”. No exploration of New Zealand’s voting record at the UN on matters important to South Africa. No questioning of our craven failure to disturb Mbeki’s assumption that he can trade forever on self-loathing of our politicians and media elite, who show the same wilfulfully blind loyalty to their revolutionary “heroes of the struggle” as Mbeki is showing to Mugabe.

Margaret Wilson’s performance in Durban 4 years ago when New Zealand sided with those “heroes” against our traditional allies (the US and Britain) could have been mentioned.

I’ve never seen any MSM attempt to explore the NZ Labour Party’s knowledge of Mugabe’s early atrocities and their effective complicity in his subsequent destruction of his country. For Lange appointed a High Commissioner to Harare. It had no connection to New Zealand’s interests. It was to capitalise on Lange’s tribe’s delight in the defeat of Smith’s white farmers.

When the archives are opened, we should know whether the High Commissioner knew of and reported Mugabe’s early democratic practice.  After Smith’s defeat, while New Zealand was celebrating (our anti-colonialism has always been semi-hysterical) Mugabe was busy Africanizing democracy for Zimbabwe.

He accepted North Korea’s offer of military assistance. Death squads eliminated the Matabele elite (at least 10,000 murdered) to destroy any power base for Joshua Nkomo, the only other resistance leader with any prospect of challenging Mugabe atr the polls.

If our High Commissioner did not know, he would have been the only person in Harare who did not. I wonder whether the archives will record any faint perturbation in Wellington, as Lange set off around the world to lecture our allies about morality in foreign policy?