Mugabe now a voice in the wilderness

Zimbabwe has moved on from former president Mr Robert Mugabe's authoritarian rule and the nonagenarian must know that he does not hold sway over the majority of the people, war veterans and political analysts said yesterday.

Observers said Mr Mugabe's dreams were no longer relevant to Zimbabweans and he was overrating his political influence. Further, they said his last-minute attempts to find relevance and blackmail Zanu-PF would not work.

Mr Mugabe yesterday convened a press conference in Harare where he claimed he was ousted from power illegally last year. He sought to gain mileage using foreign journalists in the country for today's harmonised elections.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association secretary general Victor Matemadanda said Mr Mugabe would only get support from political turncoats like MDC-Alliance presidential candidate Mr Nelson Chamisa.

"Who in their normal senses would need to be reminded of how the people of Zimbabwe in their multitudes cast out Mugabe from power? This also included MDC people including Chamisa who claims that today Zanu-PF dumped Mugabe, and because Mugabe was dumped he is very free and wants to work with him," he said.

"Every normal thinking Zimbabwean knows that the agenda of the MDC from the onset was to remove Mugabe and they failed on their own. We removed Mugabe and they came to support when we said Mugabe must go. The MDC leadership, all of it, including the late Dr Morgan Tsvangirai attended in support. Chamisa even wanted to give a statement in support of the removal of Robert Mugabe but today less than seven months from the day that we removed Mugabe he thinks that the people of Zimbabwe have forgotten."

Adv Dinha Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Minister Advocate Martin Dinha said Mr Mugabe was still bitter with the winds of change that swept across Zimbabwe last year, cleaning up his mess.

"I was close to that system like many of us in the new dispensation and we warned vociferously and publicly that the G40 cabal will result in the fall of Mugabe," he said.

"To deny that the new dispensation was ushered in democratically and constitutionally and that Parliament including those in bed today with Mugabe who include Chamisa and team were part of the parliamentary impeachment process which led to the last-minute resignation of former president Mugabe is naivety and dishonesty of the first order."

He said President Mnangagwa was elected constitutionally.

"The former president misread the national mood and the fact that G40 and him had become unpopular, both in Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe," Adv Dinha said.

"He still thinks his G40 outfit still enjoys support enough to cause the defeat of Zanu-PF by aligning with MDC Alliance and Chamisa. Zanu-PF and its leader will win this election because they have the support. Mr Mugabe's dictatorship has been replaced by democracy."

People's Rainbow Coalition led by Dr Joice Mujuru weighed in saying the attack of its leader by Mr Mugabe was unacceptable.

"That Robert Mugabe is our past is clearly on the wall," the party said in a statement.

"Obviously, his dreams are no longer relevant to Zimbabweans. We hope he is not as usual being abused by a ruthless cartel. We ask his family to concentrate on creating a Mugabe foundation and stop influencing the old man to issue comments damaging his legacy."

The coalition said Mugabe and his wife Grace's disdainful acts should never be allowed back into society again. Dr Mujuru was also on the receiving end of Mr Mugabe's rants.