Comment: Zimbabwe - Look out Mugabe, the U.N is going to make a report!

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has announced that the chief of the UN programme on sustainable housing, Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, will represent him in reviewing the humanitarian aspects of the Zimbabwean Government's eviction of illegal dwellers and informal traders.

I am sure the estimated 200,000 victims made homeless by the Mugabe regime, will be delighted to hear this. Providing of course they can get hold of a radio or television.

Armed with good intentions, reminders of international obligations and plenty of photo opportunities, the UN entourage will no doubt follow the advice of their mothers, and leave the place exactly as they found it.

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Mrs Tibaijuka will, "study the scope of the recent eviction of illegal dwellers, informal traders and squatters, and the humanitarian impact it has had on the affected population".

Considering 200,000 people lost their homes, I would have thought the scope was pretty obvious. As for the humanitarian impact, I would make an educated guess that having their homes and stalls bulldozed and torched, had a negative effect on their well being and morale. I doubt if too many would have pictures of Mugabe hanging on their walls. Oh, hang on, Mugabe solved the problem of walls for them.

Dujarric also said Mrs Tibaijuka, "will prepare a thorough report on the situation".

It's an odd thing about reports. When Government or NGO officials prepare reports on poor bastards battling their way through life each day, life invariably becomes harder for the subjects of the reports. However, when they do the same to people like Mugabe, very little ever changes.