Opinion / Columnist
Mugabe going down fighting
20 Nov 2017 at 07:30hrs | Views
Zimbabweans around the country and across the world seized the golden opportunity on Saturday 18 November 2017 morning to march against President Robert Gabriel Mugabe to peacefully step down after decades in power.
The Zimbabwean war veterans declared their support for the defence forces led by General Constatino Guvheya Chiwenga to take over under after the military denied that it had carried a coup. People from across the globe celebrated in their numbers describing it as the defining moment of the Zimbawe's political history.
What made it a very big day was the celebratory mood within the people who had not known the taste of a new a new leader since independence.
Down in South Africa hundreds of people gathered at Union Building in the heart of Pretoria with others in different towns marching in solidarity with fellow Zimbabweans back home. Pressure kept on piling on the nonagenarian leader who has presided over the country for 37 years.
I would like to critically look at this new political dispensation where all the ZANU PF provinces have passed a vote of no confidence in Mugabe, citing the fact that he was now incapacitated and could no longer fit to lead and that his time to pack his goods was up and that he must go.
The funny part of it was the fact that, these are the same people who were saying Mugabe is their candidate for next year's 2018 harmonised elections and were the same people who have endorsed the ouster of Emmerson Mnangagwa some few weeks ago.
These are the dynamics of Zimbabwe's politics which have recently stolen the global attention.
Mugabe feared to be rejected by his own people when pressure started mounting on him to resign. He lost the opportunity to leave in dignity. Good lessons can be drawn from such events where I think are caused by politics of patronage and bootlicking of political leaders and regarding them as Messiahs. Instead political leaders should be answerable to their wrongs. Mugabe was treated as a saint to the extent of calling him "Cremora" a powederd milk mixture.
African continent should be wary of such leaders who wants to overstay in power. Africa has been burdened by such kind of political behaviour which is shocking and unpredictable.
It's fortunate that the Zimbabwe case study has not reported any spilling of blood. If it had occured in other African countries we could have witnessed serious bloodshed which would bring instability to the continent.
The Zimbabwean scenario had also shown the lack of nolstagic intelligentsia on the part of the Central Intelligence Organisation which failed to gather intelligence on the collapse of the economy and had concentrated much on buttering the old man. It failed to advise the President the reality on the ground , that the masses have endured long suffering for time immemorial under the leadership of one person.
Mugabe also lacked the foresight to see that he was aging and was supposed to have appointed a successor on time. The intervention of the army came as a blessing in disguise and became automatically the saviour of the people who could not openly tell the President that his time was up. Selfishness, greedy and oppressive conduct were some of the things which raised the anger of the army and resorted to come to the rescue of the suffering majority. Some still argue that the army is trying to protect their bosses ill gotten wealth but the majority were happy that the Mugabe regime was falling some citing the fact that Mugabe wanted to create a dynasty and it was quickly stopped by the intervention of the defences forces.
The Zimbabweans have suffered too long and this hurdle became an escape route for many.
Zimbabweans and the international community have welcomed the sacking of Mugabe and this is likely to take the country to another political , economic and social level as the people from different political backgrounds converged and marched in solidarity for one common cause.
Any new leader who is coming has to understand that he/she had a task to rectify the problem like cash-strapped economic sector and impoverished, Zimbabwe's economy which is facing severe challenges. There is on the other side unemployment and poverty which are endemic and political strife and repression which needs to be addressed as the country look beyond Mugabe's era.
Many Zimbabweans have left the country to seek for greener pastures in foreign countries are ready to come back home and rebuild this beautiful nation. Will Mugabe's legacy be ignored or erased?
Contacts
Facebook - Leonard Koni
Twitter. - @leokoni
Whatsapp. - +27747402042
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
The Zimbabwean war veterans declared their support for the defence forces led by General Constatino Guvheya Chiwenga to take over under after the military denied that it had carried a coup. People from across the globe celebrated in their numbers describing it as the defining moment of the Zimbawe's political history.
What made it a very big day was the celebratory mood within the people who had not known the taste of a new a new leader since independence.
Down in South Africa hundreds of people gathered at Union Building in the heart of Pretoria with others in different towns marching in solidarity with fellow Zimbabweans back home. Pressure kept on piling on the nonagenarian leader who has presided over the country for 37 years.
I would like to critically look at this new political dispensation where all the ZANU PF provinces have passed a vote of no confidence in Mugabe, citing the fact that he was now incapacitated and could no longer fit to lead and that his time to pack his goods was up and that he must go.
The funny part of it was the fact that, these are the same people who were saying Mugabe is their candidate for next year's 2018 harmonised elections and were the same people who have endorsed the ouster of Emmerson Mnangagwa some few weeks ago.
These are the dynamics of Zimbabwe's politics which have recently stolen the global attention.
Mugabe feared to be rejected by his own people when pressure started mounting on him to resign. He lost the opportunity to leave in dignity. Good lessons can be drawn from such events where I think are caused by politics of patronage and bootlicking of political leaders and regarding them as Messiahs. Instead political leaders should be answerable to their wrongs. Mugabe was treated as a saint to the extent of calling him "Cremora" a powederd milk mixture.
It's fortunate that the Zimbabwe case study has not reported any spilling of blood. If it had occured in other African countries we could have witnessed serious bloodshed which would bring instability to the continent.
The Zimbabwean scenario had also shown the lack of nolstagic intelligentsia on the part of the Central Intelligence Organisation which failed to gather intelligence on the collapse of the economy and had concentrated much on buttering the old man. It failed to advise the President the reality on the ground , that the masses have endured long suffering for time immemorial under the leadership of one person.
Mugabe also lacked the foresight to see that he was aging and was supposed to have appointed a successor on time. The intervention of the army came as a blessing in disguise and became automatically the saviour of the people who could not openly tell the President that his time was up. Selfishness, greedy and oppressive conduct were some of the things which raised the anger of the army and resorted to come to the rescue of the suffering majority. Some still argue that the army is trying to protect their bosses ill gotten wealth but the majority were happy that the Mugabe regime was falling some citing the fact that Mugabe wanted to create a dynasty and it was quickly stopped by the intervention of the defences forces.
The Zimbabweans have suffered too long and this hurdle became an escape route for many.
Zimbabweans and the international community have welcomed the sacking of Mugabe and this is likely to take the country to another political , economic and social level as the people from different political backgrounds converged and marched in solidarity for one common cause.
Any new leader who is coming has to understand that he/she had a task to rectify the problem like cash-strapped economic sector and impoverished, Zimbabwe's economy which is facing severe challenges. There is on the other side unemployment and poverty which are endemic and political strife and repression which needs to be addressed as the country look beyond Mugabe's era.
Many Zimbabweans have left the country to seek for greener pastures in foreign countries are ready to come back home and rebuild this beautiful nation. Will Mugabe's legacy be ignored or erased?
Contacts
Facebook - Leonard Koni
Twitter. - @leokoni
Whatsapp. - +27747402042
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Source - Leonard Koni
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