Mugabe Goes For Broke

Over the past few years, I have many times written of the longest and quietest coup in history - that of Mugabe taking power in Zimbabwe even though he is not the duly elected President of the country. I have also written of the manner in which he has been able to not only grab power but to secure it in such a way that nothing happens in Zimbabwe without the knowledge of ZANU PF.

Mugabe himself is seen as just a nominal figurehead - real power is with the Joint Operations Command (JOC) and his Minister for Defence, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who many believe is the anointed one, the one chosen to succeed Mugabe.- when he does finally fall off his mortal coil.

Much has been written in the last forty-eight hours about a coup in Zimbabwe, but this hasn't taken the form of so many other coups we have seen take place around the world in recent years.

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Instead of an armed takeover of State installations by rebel forces and the dethroning of the State head, Mugabe is there already - all he has to do is prevent the advent of democracy from happening, holding Zimbabweans hostage in their own country.

This is a coup from the inner sanctum of a struggling government.

Mugabe has no intention of handing power to anyone, nor allowing anyone to have any say in the running of the country. The popular mandate may not be his or his ZANU PF party, but that hasn't stopped him from carefully ensuring that nothing could possibly be held in abeyance to prevent his fractious and rowdy party from destroying Zimbabwe totally, so that only pro-ZANU PF people have any chance at life at all.

I have also read how the Attorney-General - unilaterally Mugabe-appointed Johannes Tomana - has prepared the paperwork to have Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai arrested on charges of contempt of court following his remarks on the decision to scrap the election of the Speaker of the House. Even though Tsvangirai has apologised for his comments, and I have written here already how Mugabe apologist Jonathan Moyo has had far worse to say on the subject, we do not see any paperwork awaiting Moyo and his arrest.

There are supposedly nine senior members of the Tsvangirai faction of the Movement for Democratic Change that are also meant to be arrested at the same time - reportedly meant to transpire upon the return of the Prime Minister from meeting with South African President, Jacob Zuma.

Obviously, the arrest of the Prime Minister would be the final straw for the fragile coalition, and Mugabe would just move MDC personnel aside, replacing them with his own people, which would thereby give him total and utter control in the country.

We will hear no outcry from regional leaders, nor will we hear anything said by the Southern African Development Community, the supposed guarantors of the 'government of national unity' - possibly because they won't know what to say, but probably because they are too scared to say anything seen as remotely anti-Mugabe.

The next few days in Zimbabwean history will leave indelible scars on the population, unimaginable pain and suffering for key members of the MDC formations, more suffering for the population who already struggle to survive each day, and a stoic silence from the Mugabe administration. Any word from ZANU PF will be laced with hatred, lies, loathing and threats.

The gloves are truly off this time.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man