After Landslide Win Mugabe Builds New Bosses'

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imperialists recognise Mugabe's • masses who swept him to office.

STEELMEN/ SOUTH

STELEN 200 20% ARRÉNDER NO.

V THE STELVONEN o 1515 The overwhelming victory of Robert Mugabe in the Rhodesian elections and the crushing humiliation of chief stooge Muzorewa represents a substantial setback for Anglo-American imperialism and for the South African racist regime.

The complete isolation of Muzorewa from any credible base of support, and the rallying of 90% of the black electorate to the banner of the two guerrilla leaders Mugabe and Nkomo, made even. manipulation of the election results completely impractical for the emptilist in their pow done everything witch-hunt and isolate Mugabe.

Rampage

But as Muzorewa's hired thugs went on a rampage against Mugabe supporters, the imperialists quickly took heart tram Muncha's firet starte Prime Minister elect.

This "Marxist" proudly announced that General Walls, the butcher of countless ZANLA guerrillas and architect of Smith's counter-insurgency operations, would remain as head of the armed forces, and preside over the "integration" of guerrilla forces into the army.

The police force, he insisted, would remain intact. And he restated to the satisfaction of the stock markets of the world that he had no plans for sweeping nationalisations of industry or land.

At the same time Mugabe began the search for bourgeois politicians and white racists to decorate his planned government of "national unity"

It is by these actions that the imperialists recognise Mugabe's true calibre. As one commentator shrewaly pointed out, Mugabe's idea of socialism "is of the same type as that of Hugh Gaitskell or Roy Jenkins.

Some superticial concessions will of course have to be made by Mugabe if he is to contain hu Anuah if ho is to montain Anti-Mugabe-Soames the militancy of the black masses who swept him to office. Gradually the key white personnel of the racist state of Rhodesia will be replaced by blacks-dedicated to the preservation of a fundamentally capitalist system.

While this process is underway, the state forces are of losing the thread of their rehearsed tub-thumping speeches.

Having survived the March 9 experience, the tull attention of the luc leaders will now be course in disarray: it would be hard for Mugabe to call in. General Walls to repress mass movements of black workers and peasants. He needs first to ensure that General Wall's skills at counter-insurgency are passed on to the future black defenders of exploitation in Zimbabwe.

And this instability, together with the colossal support obtained by guerrilla leaders in an election, must profoundly disturb the South African apartheid-capitalist state.

Demands

In this dynamic situation' it is vital that the Zimbabwe masses press forward their independent demands, which have. fuelled a major development in the struggles throughout Southern Africa.

Such demands will bring them quickly into conflict with Mugabe and his bosses' govern-l ment-and pose the need for a genuine Marxist leadership to carry through the fight for a socialist Zimbabwe.

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