In rarely seen letter, an angry Robert Mugabe writes to UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Jan 1986, telling her he would not condemn a landmine attack on whites by the ANC because “their cause surely overrides the immorality of the British economic case”
PRIME MINISTER’S PERSONAL MESSAGE
Serial No. T68/86
Harare, 10th January, 1986
Dear Prime Minister,
I write to acknowledge with thanks your letter of 29th December, 1985, in which you inform me about your meeting with the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons. I trust that the Group will discharge its unenviable task to the best of its ability. I shall eagerly await the results of its endeavour.
I must, however, frankly and honestly inform you that I take great exception to the second paragraph of your letter, especially the portion which reads as follows:
“…… I was frankly dismayed to hear the news that another landmine had exploded in Northern Transvaal on 15 December, this time involving substantial loss of life. I understand that it is your policy not to allow such attacks to be mounted from Zimbabwe and hope that you will continue to use your influence to try to prevent such incidents.”
I also find it surprising that the Northern Transvaal explosions should have been the first to dismay you. I suppose this is because the victims of the explosions were, for the first time, exclusively seven whites. What about the hundreds of blacks murdered by the apartheid regime within South Africa, and those others murdered by it across the border in Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe? Do they move your conscience at all? While white may be more beautiful for the British and their South African apartheid allies, black is also more beautiful for us of African descent!
Please, there can never be any question of my pleading with the A.N.C. to “prevent such incidents,” as you put it. You certainly seem to be unaware of the stand taken by the last summit of the O.A.U. urging the South African Liberation Movements to intensify their freedom struggle. That is the African position! It is also my position! Anyway, Comrade Oliver Tambo, the President of the ANC, lives in London, not in Zimbabwe, and hence it is quite an easy matter for you to express your views directly to him.
The second paragraph of your letter also goes on to state, “but there are quite clearly limits to the South African Government’s tolerance if these incidents continue in the future.” This, indeed, amounts to a threat you are delivering to me on behalf of South Africa. But let me state quite clearly that we (that is, my Government and People) are not afraid of any invasion by South Africa. Whatever its military strength might be in relation to ours, we can never allow it to get away with any criminal act of blatant aggression. You can tell them that! It should not be forgotten that we won our freedom and independence through an armed revolutionary struggle. We remain prepared to defend that freedom and independence through the same struggle!
We, more than South Africa, have come to a stage where we can no longer allow our tolerance to be further stretched, and, certainly, we will not allow South Africa to engage with impunity in acts of direct aggression against us.
I am sure you know that in respect of Zimbabwe South Africa has, since Independence, been trying to destabilise both our political and economic systems. Even as I write you now, South Africa is training dissident and bandit recruits from Zimbabwe at at least two centres. We have thus been more sinned against that sinning. So, please do not add British insult to the injury being inflicted upon us by the Boers.
I am sorry to have to write in this tone, but am constrained to do so by the import of the second paragraph of your letter.
Yours sincerely,
R.G. Mugabe
Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
Stamped: 10 JAN 1986
To:
The Honourable M. Thatcher, M.P.
Prime Minister Minister,
10 Downing Street,
London,
United Kingdom.
