Ostriches realize how far in the sand their heads were buried

The miserable failure South African president Thabo Mbeki's 'quiet diplomacy' appeasement vis-a-vis Zimbabwean dictator Bob Mugabe has been evident for years. While a noble endeavor in the beginning, Mbeki should've realized years ago that the policy had failed and that a new approach was required. Mbeki continues deluding himself into believing that his approach was actually bearing fruit, despite the meltdown of the Zimbabwean economy, despite the massive influx of refugees from the country into South Africa, despite the all out war against the opposition, despite Mugabe's poll theft from President-elect Morgan Tsvangirai and most of all, despite Mugabe's all out war against Zimbabwean citizens.

But apparently he's not the only South African who's been deluding himself. This piece from South Africa's Business Day (via allafrica.com) reports: RETIRED South African army generals investigating post-election violence in Zimbabwe have uncovered "shocking levels" of state-sponsored terror, sources close to them say.
The continued violence makes any chance of a peaceful runoff election "almost impossible", they say.

That they were shocked by the level of state-sponsored terror, something that's hardly new in Zimbabwe, is testament to the clueleness (willful ignorance?) of the South African intelligence apparatus. Something that's fairly astonishing considering all the information made available by local and international human rights groups.

Though unlike Mbeki, at least the South African generals have recognized and trying to rectify their ignorance.