Ex Rhodesian PM Ian Smith dies - 21 Nov 07

The former Rhodesian prime minister has died in South Africa aged 88.
Smith suffered a stroke and Zimbabwe - which used to be called Rhodesia -is describing his death as "good riddance." Al Jazeera's Jayne Azzopardi looks back at his controversial life.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Rhodesia
• ian
• smith
• africa
• aljazeera
• al
• jazeera
• Zimbawe
• Jayne
• Azzopardi

[BahreNeGash]

@MrPenfold84

EXACTLY MY POINT, It's LONG OVER DUE that all whites & blacks stop pointing fingers at each other & heal the wounds of 400yrs of racial conflict.

Remember, FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, the same or WORST crimes were committed in Europe against Europeans, in Asia against Asians & in America against Americans.

BUT, THEY ALL TRIED THEIR BEST & MANAGED TO RECONCILE THE PAST & HEAL THE WOUNDS, BY REACHING OUT TO EACH OTHER TO BUILD A COMMON DESTINY & BETTER FUTURE.

So should Africans.

[MrPenfold84]

@BahreNeGash Exactly! These grudges that white and black people hold against one another, they're awful! Today people is where our efforts should be focussed, not in the past.

[MrPenfold84]

@gjc82071 It's a figure of speech! About the toilet that is.

[MrPenfold84]

@gjc82071 I concur.

[bgibb101]

@MrPenfold84 - You are correct. South Africa is now suffering under the ANC's Marxist philosophies. In spite of policies like BEE (Black Economic Empowerment), the ANC has still managed to lose over one million black jobs. Julius Malema is just another Mugabe waiting in the wings. However, with all-black, former ANC wards going over to the Democratic Alliance, I can only hope that sanity will prevail.

[MrPenfold84]

@bgibb101 The Marxist element has been the root of a lot of the problems in Africa.

[MrPenfold84]

@94Colonial A fact that not to many people know about it, the tribal chief's sold their own people to the Europeans!

People really need to be enlightened!

[MrPenfold84]

@bgibb101 Most if not all African countries are ruled by a one party dictatorship! Be they communist or fascist, both are vile. The commonwealth is about democracy. Freedom and equality can only come with democracy which none of the dictators believe in. They are the scum of the earth and liars to their own people. God damn them all to hell.

[MrPenfold84]

This reporter lady has most of her facts completely wrong. Smith's declaration of Rhodesian independence did not start the war that took off. And nor did he impose apartheid. Where the hell do all these starry eyed people get their facts?

[94Colonial]

@angepatrick2 That is true, they did not necessarily need or want railways, houses, roads etcetera etcetera. To an extent, they were segregated; tribally, though that was voluntary. Enslaved? Of course they were, the stronger tribes enslaved the weaker. The whiteman bought slaves, that is true, but he did not round up slaves himself. He simply bought them off the Tribal Chiefs who kept slaves for themselves and had slaves to spare. Every culture in history had slaves,British the first to ban it.