Aussie tour boycott threat: Your shouts!

Aussie tour boycott threat: Your shouts!

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WE asked for your reaction to the threat to boycott a cricket tour of Zimbabwe by Australia later in September. You are the jury, here are some of your comments:

Editor - No game of cricket should be played between Zimbabwe and Australia because of the situation in Zimbabwe right now.
Clemence Mandiveyi

Editor - I personally don't support the Australian government’s decision to bar their cricket team from touring Zimbabwe. Although I hate the Zanu PF government with a passion, I do not see any connection between cricket and politics to the extent of depriving innocent cricketers the opportunity to face their sternest competition.
Manex Chimhance
Harare

Editor - The tour should go ahead. The Australian government should leave sport alone and concentrate on their racial issues. If the Aussies can tour Pakistan where there is a 600% risk of being bombed by suicide bombers, why not visit Zimbabwe where no single case of suicide bomb has ever been reported? They are trying to destroy careers of black cricketers in Africa.

This is not about tyranny and poor governance, it’s about BLACK HATE. Last year when England was playing Pakistan, an unused bullet was picked on the pitch. England where fielding in a 50 overs match. I have never heard about that happening in Zimbabwe. Mugabe is a bad man for real, no one likes him. But that doesn’t make the Australians angels.
Farai Musimanga

Editor - If you are a true Zimbabwean, you should surely want the Aussies to tour our beloved country. Politics must be left to the politicians. All the world leaders screw up, in most instances in subtle ways but nonetheless no lesser than Mugabe is screwing up.

In my opinion, they indeed inspire him to screw up. Look at George Bush and the dead bodies in Iraq. Nobody makes noise about it. And now those MDC zealots get a thoroughly deserved bashing, the whole world comes is agog.

What makes it even sad is that our own brothers and sisters are crucifying the country for the love of forex. You should have seen Sekai Holland on SBS in Australia, she was like a woman possessed, urging the western countries to cut ties with Zimbabwe. What most of those zealots fail to realise is that Zimbabwe is bigger than individuals. If those western powers are so concerned about Mugabe’s misrule, why don’t they just do a Milosevic or some such tactics on him instead of having the whole country suffering?
Leo Zvionere

Editor - A Big YES to a boycott of the tour.

It’s disgusting to see how innocent people are being brutalised by the merciless Mugabe regime. Some incidents of state-sanctioned brutality don't get published because of tough media laws in place. Besides, the Zimbabwe players don't get paid what they deserve by playing the cricket game and they can't complain. So what's the use of touring such a country ruled by corrupt and ruthless politicians?

The whole cricket management was merely imposed and there is no auditing to check how the cash is spent. I can go on and on and on, without a comma or a full stop; so Boycott, Yes Boycott!!!
Boyd C

Editor - Once again we see the hypocrisy of these Western nations, why are we not seeing Pakistan or Bangladesh being banned from playing cricket? Someone tell me why?

My wife spent a two weeks in Zimbabwe and she was never beaten up (of course she heard stories of people being beaten). People like Sekai Holland should tell the world the truth and not be scare mongers. Actually why don't you get a response from the people who were on board the BA flights for the HIFA how the violence is like in Zimbabwe?
Blessing

Editor - In all honesty, the chances of Australian cricketers getting bashed on tour in Zimbabwe are slim if not nil, they have been here before and nothing happened. Sekai Holland must not grandstand and at the same time diminish the importance of this national crisis by making exaggerated statements which are not based on facts. She actually has given the regime yet another excuse to say that MDC are Western puppets, All Zanu PF will say is "you see what they say when they visit Western countries?”

Pro-democracy leaders must be careful what they say and not arm the Zanu PF government with ammunition for its propaganda.
J Kwidini

Editor - Yes, Sekai Holland was bashed, she was beaten, something we cannot excuse. I was also recently exiled, but for her to go and use a pack of lies to scare Australian whites off Zimbabwe is just horrible. That's why nobody takes MDC seriously. Australia has been to Zimbabwe before amid the same controversy but nothing happened.

Our cricketers need that practice so that when Mugabe is finally gone, we are a force to be reckoned with in cricket. Hey Holland, your fight is with Mugabe and not our cricketers. You are alienating these people and what would happen should one day MDC come to power? Will these sons of ours in cricket ever respect them?

So, if Mugabe is beating the hell out of whites in Zimbabwe as Holland claims, does that mean there are no white people in Zimbabwe anymore? And since the land reform in 2002, which other whites have been beaten by Mugabe except our black brothers and sisters?

Australia is mining Zimbabwean diamonds as we speak, why are they only targeting cricket? Because they know there is not much gain. Ha, to hell - let our boys play their cricket without politicians meddling.
Peter Moyo
Johannesburg

Editor - Australian Cricketers should not boycott the Zimbabwe tour. This is sport and has nothing to do with politics and besides, Zimbabwe is a proven safe destination for foreign visitors. Holland and her MDC should wake up and smell the coffee!!
Chiwalo
Harare

Editor – A boycott does not affect the government because other countries will come and play. Do not mix politics and sport.
Sylvester Shoniwa

Editor - The tour should go ahead. We can't have politics now affecting sport. Why can't they close their embassy from Zimbabwe instead to show their seriousness?
Busani Masiri
Harare

Editor - This does not affect Mugabe but the players and those that love cricket. Mugabe doesn’t care anymore.
Memory Nkomo

Editor - I can't imagine why anyone would want to oppose a boycott. It's a pity the ICC don't use the fines they may collect to hire someone to destroy Mugabe and his evil cronies. It's also a pity that the John Howard government haven’t imposed tougher sanctions. It's deplorable how the western world sits on the sidelines and allows the atrocities of Robert Mugabe to continue.
Sue Taylor

Editor - I'm from South Africa and are well aware of the current situation in Zimbabwe. I'm glad Australia is taking a firm decision not to go on the tour.

The problem is that none of Zimbabwe's neighbouring country governments think Mugabe is doing something wrong. Not one African country including South Africa which supplies Zimbabwe with the bulk of its electricity and fuel put any pressure on Mugabe’s regime.

Mugabe and the South African President are best mates. The things Mugabe is doing are happening in South Africa but only in a legal way.
Fred

Editor - Listen here guys. I have never understood why sports men want to associate themselves with politics. They are sportsmen, full stop. There is no question that Australia should tour Zimbabwe. They should without fail. They are not going there for political enhancements but to offer an entertainment to the people who love the sport. Why do western countries insult Zimbabweans’ intelligence with their racial arrogance?

Nobody is asking Howard or Blair to go to Zimbabwe. BE REASONABLE.
Carlos Mwandiambira

Editor - No country should play Zimbabwe, until there’s a government that promotes human rights.
Delani Dube

Editor - I find it rather disheartening that politicians who have failed to achieve their political targets through political means want to abuse the sporting fraternity to achieve their means. Indeed Mugabe maybe the patron of Cricket Zimbabwe but Prosper Utseya and the boys have nothing to do with Mugabe or the Zimbabwean government, serve to say they and other sportspersons are the real ambassadors of our country in these tumultuous times.

Denying them their right and privilege to represent their country and demonstrate their nationalism and patriotism in their own way, which most of us have failed to do would be unfair on them or their multitude of fans. With all due respect to Sekai Holland, the MDC and the Australian government, I think they are taking their Anti-Mugabe campaign to the wrong court.

The mere fact that the Australian government can afford to pay for the fine that the ICC will charge against the Australian Cricket board should they forfeit their tour to Zimbabwe should not urge them to do wrong and drag sport into politics. Sport has always been the bridge between different people from all walks of life, regardless of religion, race or creed; and let me add regardless of political affiliation.

I would agree with the Aussies if they were to postpone or cancel their tour on the basis of security reasons (which should be well founded not Sekai Holland going to lie to them that they will be bashed if they come). By asking the Australians not to fulfil their tour, who are these people representing? Are those the views and sentiments of their electorate?

If indeed Sekai Holland (and I assume the MDC) or anyone for that matter believes that no one in the world should have anything to do with Zimbabwe as long as Mugabe is President, then they are no different from Mugabe who believes in going it alone. Zimbabwe is not an island, whether politically, economically or in the sports field. One question that requires an answer from those advocating for an Aussie boycott would be; who does it benefit?

Does it benefit Cricket in Zimbabwe? Does it benefit a Zimbabwean citizen? How? Like every other sport, one can only play for a certain period in their lives. The cricket team we have in Zimbabwe is still very young and needs a lot of matches to gain the experience they need to compete at the highest level of the game. At the moment we are already suffering because of the lack of test matches and to be denied the chance to play ODIs because the people don't see eye to eye with Mugabe is grossly unfair.

Whilst each Australian player has the right to decide whether they should come to Zimbabwe or not, their decisions should be based on issues of personal safety (which I would rather urge the Zimbabwean government, in light of the numerous implications, to guarantee.) Not being able to guarantee the Aussies safety when they come to Zimbabwe, and having our very own political leaders bad mouthing our country, will fly in the face of all the talk about benefiting from the Soccer World Cup to be hosted in Africa for the first time by our neighbour South Africa. No team or country in the world will want to be associated with us.

Lastly, I believe Ricky Ponting and his boys should feel welcome to come and enjoy our Zimbabwean sun and give our boys some lessons because we are going to be the invincible team soon. Our cricket team has always played very well against them and it will do us a great deal of good to be able to play them again.

God bless Zimbabwe.
James Mugabe
Johannesburg

Editor - Cricket is just a game, and should not be controlled by politicians. Their boycott will not do anything to improve the situation in Zimbabwe. It is surprising to see MDC wanting Australia to boycott the trip, when they have not made an effort to call for African countries to boycott soccer matches in Harare.
Tanyanyiwa Magocha

Editor - Australian cricketers must not play in Zimbabwe for obvious reasons if you do not know them stop reading this now because you are from Mars!
Den Sebata
Bournemouth

Editor - Double standards of the worst kind from the Australians as usual. If they honest, they would withdraw their diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, they should stop all those Australian companies making huge profits out of trading with Zimbabwe. How is stopping cricketers from touring Zimbabwe going to positively affect human rights? Or perhaps white land rights?
S. Mutsatsa
UK
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