Mugabe makes a fool of himself

It was Mark Twain who said it is always better to keep one's mouth shut and let people think that you are a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.

Similarly, Jesus cautioned in the Book of Matthew that, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks".

And so it was, that when bitter former president Robert Mugabe finally chose to open his mouth about his fall from grace (pun intended) on Thursday, he not only exposed his foolishness — but also betrayed the filth that has always appeared to take pride of place in his heart.

Indeed, when evil resides in a person's heart — as Mugabe's ruinous and murderous record in his 37 years in power shows — it will always be exposed in perverse speech and poisonous language, which this fallen tin pot dictator was so fond of.

In his demented rant on Thursday, and it really was a pathetic show by this washed out elder, he made it very clear that he and his unhinged wife Grace are fantasising about plotting their way back to power, even as he unconvincingly tried to deny this obvious truth.

This is why he lied so brazenly on so many issues during his media engagement, in the notorious style of Fake Dr Stop It, and also made the staggering claims that Zapu and the late Father Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo (may the soul of this gentle giant rest in peace), had caused the Gukurahundi massacres of the early 1980s to happen, while also arguing pitiably that he had not impoverished Zimbabweans, and that democracy had been alive in the country during his inept rule.

It all boggles the mind, and gives grist to the saying that the gods first make mad those people that they want to destroy completely.

Still, it is important that Zimbabweans understand that there is mischievous method, as usual, to this madness by Uncle Bob. His intention in all these silly antics is to continue to cause confusion and anarchy in the country, that only benefits him and his family.

He is also blinded by a demonic spirit of revenge, and wants to get back at President Emmerson Mnangagwa at all costs — with the clear ultimate aim of taking Zimbabwe with him to his grave. Never mind the fact that he started his war with Mnangagwa.

It's all so sad; as if he didn't do enough damage to the country and its citizens in his nearly four lost decades in power, that he continues on this destructive path.

If there is any good thing that came out of Mugabe's media theatrics on Thursday, it is that even those few deluded Zimbabweans who until now had been cutting him some slack, are finally coming to their senses, and opening their eyes to his dishonesty, hypocrisy and selfishness.

Many Zimbabweans are also happy that God has blessed Mugabe with a long life, which has meant that he and his spoiled family are now getting to experience just a teeny-weeny bit of the heartless system that he authored and nurtured while in power.

To this end, it was also good to see him having to resort to the hated private and foreign media when he needed his voice to be heard — after his ruthless regime brutalised the local media and banned the country's top newspaper brand, the Daily News, in September 2003, for eight long years, for telling the Zimbabwean story like it is, in addition to hounding out of the country virtually the whole foreign media corps.

The irony of it all did not also escape long-suffering Zimbabweans when he moaned about the military having orchestrated his removal from power last November, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had only stayed on the throne as long as he did because of the same men and women in uniform who he is now criticising, including after the late popular leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, thrashed him hands down in the hotly-disputed 2008 elections.

The real pity here is that Mugabe, who is in the twilight of his life, is — apart from seemingly pining to end up at The Hague for his well-documented human rights abuses while in power — also making the life of his rapacious wife, his equally gluttonous children and grandchildren very difficult, by making them wholly unlovable because of his ill-advised utterances and political manoeuvring.

This is why we say loudly to him, and he must heed this clear and well-meant message: You are now ancient history in the life of this nation, as well as a very bad dream. It's over. Please shut up and enjoy playing with your beloved grandchildren in your last few years on earth. Otherwise, you risk taking them down with you very soon.