The problem in Zimbabwe is the land question. Unlike West Africa, the Southern Africa was characterised by white settlers.

Under Western colonial imperialism, 80% of the land in Southern Africa was occupied by the white farmers, while the remaining 20% of the infertile land was occupied by the blacks and black farmers, who constitute the majority.

History has proved that revolutions are always based on the land question. When the white settlers occupied Southern Africa, in particular, Zimbabwe, they forcibly took the land from Africans. Even today, majority of the land in South Africa is occupied by the white farmers.

In Rhodesia, the white colonial regime under Ian Smith denied the Africans their rights to growth and their rights to possess land. This white colonial regime was supported by Britain, United States and other Western powers.

The oppressed black Zimbabweans then took up arms against the colonial imperial regime, which had denied them their political rights and rights to possess land. Both the Zanu PF and Zanu, under the leadership of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, launched the revolutionary armed movement that eventually defeated the white army of Rhodesia, under Ian Smith, to reclaim the lands illegally occupied by white settlers.

The Zimbabwean liberation struggle lasted for over 15 years, during which over 50 Zimbabweans were killed under Ian Smith. But, eventually the colonial power was defeated and the Zimbabweans rightly demanded the land taken by the white settlers.

Mugabe has all the right to expropriate land from the white settlers and give it back to black people of Zimbabwe.

It is therefore hypocritical to attack Mugabe and imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe, just because he fought the Africans to get back their land.

The success of the Zimbabwean revolution will be judged by future generation on the basis of taking back the land from the white settlers, which is a clear contrast to the situation in South Africa, where Mandela was able to secure majority black rule  and yet, the land is largely occupied by the whites.

In order words, whereas Mugabe is prepared to take the land issue head-on, Mandela evaded the land question. That is why in South Africa, the black occupy the poorest land area, while the whites occupy most of the fertile land.

Your political independence has no meaning when your land, economic independence and survival is controlled by foreign powers. It is a mockery for any liberated African countries to pride themselves of their political independence, when the settlers still control majority of their lands.

Zimbabweans are revolutionaries, and unlike South Africans, they are taking the white settlers head-on and has refused to sacrifice the principles of their liberation struggle. Zimbabwe belongs to black Africans and it does not matter how much threat may come from Gordon Brown or George Bush. The black Zimbabweans should reclaim the land by whatever means necessary even in the face of the regime 'change agenda' being pursued by some Western imperialists. But this will surely fail.

All Africans should support the Zimbabwean struggle against the new imperialism and neo-colonialism that is threatening the very lives of Africans in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe does not belong to Britain and America but the Zimbabweans. They have the right to reclaim land from Mashonaland to Matebeland.

We Africans should support the aspirations of Zimbabweans to regain their land. We should show our solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe and take singular voice to condemn the illegal sanctions imposed by George Bush and Gordon Brown.