Mugabe's Diminishing Loyalist Base
American Base in Algeria?
Rural development: Base to reduce poverty
Mugabe's Largest Voter Base - The Graveyard
U.S. Army Base A Fan of Arab Food
Farnborough Corporate Jets Fixed Base Operation Vaporised Carroll Aircraft * HSBC Fraud
Mugabe has been in power for more than 30 years - next month, it will be 31 years - and we have to look not very far into his past to see his tendencies and his problems.
Just before the end of the Rhodesian bush war and for many years since his adoption of power in a new independent Zimbabwe, he had people that stood in his way or confronted his authority systematically taken out of the equation. Very few people questioned his style of leadership, lest they find themselves also being bumped off.
Now, as he has just 'celebrated' (if you can call having a sumptuous bash at the expense of the Zimbabwean people 'celebrating') his 87th birthday, he finds that more and more of his loyalists from many years of standing are beginning to fall off their mortal coils.
In some respects, he must be a worried man as he sees the mix of die hard loyalists being diluted, and he has to rely on the 'new kids on the block' to teach the new ZANU PF stormtroopers to exercise the same allegiance to the ZANU PF mantra...
Yesterday, we all read of yet another of Mugabe's loyalists dying.
"One of President Robert Mugabe's allies and a member of ZANU PF's inner politburo cabinet, David Karimanzira, has died.
Karimanzira, who was governor for Harare province, died Thursday morning at West End Clinic in the capital. He was 64 years old.
"He died this morning, and as a party we have lost a dedicated person," said ZANU PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo."
Sivty four? In Mugabe's eyes, a mere puppy!
But how many others of his loyalist base has he lost?
I don't want to begin a list - suffice to say that a list of all those that lie at the National Heroes Acre would be a very good start.
On that list will be some names which we will remember... Peter Pamire, Maurice Nyagumbo, Chris Ushuwekunze and so many others. And Mugabe has a habit of burying people at the Heroes Acre even when the family do not wish the deceased to lie with 'rogues and thieves'. Perhaps the willingness that ZANU PF have to bury their dead at the National shrine is reflected in their regret at having to take the lives of the people buried there.
"Karimanzira will most likely be buried at the National Heroes Acre shrine in Harare where the remains of most other senior ZANU PF leaders are buried."
And the party, using syphoned finances will foot the bill and thousands of people will be forced to attend the burial...
The good people of Zimbabwe are sick and tired of being forced to do everything that ZANU PF wants. They are forced to attend rallies, forced to sign petitions and forced to vote... and to attend ZANU PF funerals.
Call me a coward if you will, but if it weren't for the threat of violence, I would happily attend these funerals if only to make sure that whoever they are burying really is dead.
Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man
