The actions of Zimbabwe's war veterans bear an increasing resemblance to those of Mao Tse Tung's Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960s and 1970s. Farmers, industrialists, opposition politicians, aid agencies, orphanages with foreign connections, diplomats and company representatives have all been terrorised.
Canada has introduced sanctions against Zimbabwe after its High Commissioner, Mr James Wall, was manhandled by a group of war veterans when trying to protect Mr Dennis O'Brien, the director of the aid agency, CARE International. The agency's staff has now fled the country. Representatives of the International Red Cross-Red Crescent have also departed.
The British government has been forced to close the offices of the British Council under threat from the militias. A hospital director has gone into hiding in fear for his life. The editor of the country's only independent newspaper, Mr Geoff Nyarota, has been charged, for the second time in a month, with defaming President Robert Mugabe.
Mr Mugabe's own minister of Industry and Trade, Mr Nkosana Moyo, has resigned and left for South Africa saying he was exasperated by the country's descent into lawlessness. After a long period in which he adopted a non-confrontational approach to the problem, South Africa's President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, has gone on television to condemn the actions of the militias. Zimbabwe's High Commissioner in Pretoria has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a protest over attacks on, and threats against, South African interests.
Mr Mugabe has refused to call on the militias to end their campaign and all the signs are that the rule of law has totally ceased to function. That this should occur in a country, once held up as an example of prosperity and stability to the rest of Africa, is a tragedy. The economy is now in tatters and an extremely expensive war in Zaire has drained both the economy and general morale. As a result, Mr Mugabe has lost popularity, particularly amongst the urban population. He is due to stand for re-election next year and it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the current reign of terror is designed to keep him in power with or without the support of his people. An indication of how parlous Zimbabwe's economy has become can be seen in reports that it has ceased repayments on its foreign debt, including those to the International Monetary Fund, in order to use its dwindling foreign-currency reserves to pay for fuel and energy imports.
Zimbabwe is dependent on South African support for the supply of electricity. President Mbeki has the political and economic clout to put pressure on President Mugabe and it is in South Africa's interest that stability be restored to the region in which it is the most powerful nation.