Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Zimbabwe's triumvirate retains firm grip on power


The huge golden statue of three liberation soldiers - two men and a woman - form the centrepiece of Heroes' Acre, the monument to Zimbabwe's fallen.
Alongside them in the shade of a small tent adorned in the colours of the ruling party sit two men and one woman, in whose hands the future of this country are held.
Front and centre is the man who has led Zimbabwe since the struggle for independence ended in 1980.
President Robert Mugabe is 91 years old, has been in power for 35 years, but still oozes energy and passion addressing his supporters and his nation for more than an hour in the midday sun.
He may be slower on his feet, but he's still sharp in his mind.
To his left, Grace Mugabe, his second wife and the country's first lady; to his right, Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man who could be king.
Since the beginning, Robert Mugabe has dealt ruthlessly with his political rivals and outmanoeuvred those presenting any threat to his leadership.
Anyone perceived to have too much power has their wings clipped, or as happened last year, is simply blown out of the sky.
Joice Mujuru was the vice-president - the one who sat next to him under the tent at the previous Heroes' Day address.
She was an heir apparent who apparently became too much of a threat.
Hers really was a fall from Grace as the political purge enforced by Mrs Mugabe cast the vice-president and her huge support base out of the Zanu-PF party.
Now the man known as ngwenya, the crocodile, is back in the driving seat, 10 years after he suffered a similar fate.

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