Robert Mugabe’s time as Zimbabwe’s ruler is drawing to a close and his last days in office could be ”nasty, short and brutish”, his former right-hand man, Jonathan Moyo, said on Tuesday.
He said Mugabe would face a ”very high threat of a palace coup” if he refused to retire voluntarily. ”Compelling forces are gathering against Mugabe’s continued rule,” said the independent MP who broke with the president two years ago.
Mugabe confronts neighbouring leaders on Wednesday at a summit of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The body announced the ”extraordinary summit” only on Monday and Southern African leaders have scrambled to change schedules to consider Zimbabwe’s crisis.
”Neighbouring leaders and factions within Zanu-PF agree that Mugabe has become a liability,” said Moyo, the former information minister.
”They are pressing Mr Mugabe to retire when his current term expires in 2008. Mr Mugabe does not want to accept that, but even a master politician has a limited number of tricks in his hat and Mugabe is running out of ploys that he can use. No one will buy his anti-Western, anti-imperialist rhetoric any more.
”The timing of this summit is very smart. It has thrown a spanner in the works of Mugabe’s orchestrated campaign to run for another presidential term. I see South Africa’s hand behind this move,” said Moyo.
He added that Mugabe was planning to steamroller his party to endorse him for another presidential term at Zanu-PF’s central committee meeting on Friday, but neighbouring leaders had upset his plan.
”I have been to these SADC summits and I know that behind closed doors the leaders are brutally frank. They will remind Mugabe that he told them he would retire at the end of this term in 2008. They will tell him he must do that,” said Moyo.
Namibia and Angola have been Mugabe’s strongest supporters within the SADC, but Moyo said they had been persuaded by South Africa and Zambia to stop protecting the Zimbabwean leader. ”The statement issued at the close of the summit will not strongly condemn Mugabe, that is not the way SADC works. But I am certain that in the meeting the leaders will have told him in no uncertain terms that he must retire,” Moyo said. ”They will tell Mugabe that his rule in Zimbabwe is dragging down the whole southern African region. They will say Zimbabwe’s economic collapse is negatively affecting all neighbouring countries.”
There are two factions in Zanu-PF opposed to Mugabe, led by the Vice-President, Joyce Mujuru, and the Housing Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
”These factions have already blocked Mugabe’s plan to extend his term by two years until 2010. Now they will oppose Mugabe’s plan to run for another presidential term,” said Moyo. ”The region, public opinion and the majority of leaders in Zanu-PF agree on one thing, Mugabe is the problem.
”They know that as long as Mugabe is the leader, things will get worse in Zimbabwe.”
Moyo said Mugabe was likely to fight to stay in power. ”That will be futile and dangerous for Robert Mugabe. The forces are gathering against him. His back is against the wall. He relies on the police and army … But the rank and file no longer support Mugabe and even the majority of the top officers are no longer loyal. That spells trouble for Mugabe. I believe we are witnessing Mugabe’s last days in power.”
Hundreds remember Gift Tandare
A Zimbabwe opposition activist who was shot dead by the police was hailed Tuesday as a martyr who died for democracy as hundreds gathered for a memorial service.
Opposition supporters, lawmakers, diplomats and relatives of Gift Tandare gathered for a two-hour service, 15 days after the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activist was killed at an aborted anti-government rally.
”Tandare has paid the ultimate price for what we believe in … which is to liberate our country,” said Lovemore Madhuku, a constitutional activist who was beaten along with scores of other opposition supporters when police broke up a prayer rally on March 11.
”We must continue with the struggle for a Zimbabwe we want … we may be asked to pay the ultimate price,” said Madhuku.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, still with a bloodshot eye from the beating more than two weeks ago, started his first public address with a Shona song saying ”no matter how tough it gets … we have an agreement, even if we are murdered we have an agreement” [to continue the struggle].
Tsvangirai told the hundreds of mourners that Mugabe needs psychiatric help and should be forgiven for his acts.
”We don’t hate Mugabe, in fact I think he needs psychiatric help,” he said in his first public address since the assault which saw him hospitalised.
Talking to journalists after the memorial service, Tsvangirai said the assaults had served to unite the formerly fractious opposition.
”You can see that everybody is united and is mobilised and confronting the dictatorship,” he said.
”There is no dictator in this world who has succeeded to oppress the people forever … We cannot dignify an old man who has lost his mind,” he said. – Guardian Unlimited Â