While most eyes in Southern Africa were glued to the unfolding drama in Zimbabwe this week, Botswana remained true to its reputation as Africa’s most stable country, quietly transferring power from one president to another. On April 1, Festus Mogae, president for the past decade, handed power to his hand-picked successor.
The United Kingdom is working on an unprecedented £1-billion annual international emergency aid and development package to rescue the ruined Zimbabwean economy, the Guardian reported on Thursday. However, any programme would be contingent on a new democratic government coming to power.
The political and economic future of Zimbabwe is resting on a razor’s edge as hard-line military commanders and a more moderate faction of Zanu-PF leaders vie to win over a defeated Robert Mugabe. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is legally bound to release the results of the presidential election by Friday.
The ballot box has let down Zimbabweans many times, but few dare contemplate other ways of breaking the stronghold President Robert Mugabe has over the country. Of the 20 people interviewed by the Mail & Guardian, only two said they would take to the streets if they believed Mugabe had stolen the elections.
Four scenarios confront Zimbabweans as they prepare to go to the polls at the weekend: a Robert Mugabe victory, the most likely outcome; a second round of voting; a victory for the majority faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) under Morgan Tsvangirai; and a disputed election.
As the African National Congress’s (ANC) new national leadership flexes its muscles, fierce power struggles are raging at provincial level. Many are a continuation of last year’s Polokwane divisions, although there are local twists. The Mail & Guardian looks at three provinces where these dynamics are playing themselves out.
An aide of Zimbabwean presidential hopeful Simba Makoni has alleged that Israeli intelligence group Mossad has been hired by President Robert Mugabe to ensure he wins the upcoming election by hook or by crook. Ibbo Mandaza, a senior member of Makoni’s campaign team, said that the voters’ roll was manipulated in order to favour Zanu-PF.
African National Congress (ANC) MPs who are part of the Southern African Development Community observer mission to the parliamentary and presidential elections in Zimbabwe will have more freedom than before to give their honest assessment of the situation in that country.
President Thabo Mbeki could face more pressure over the next few months after the Mail & Guardian learned that supporters of Jacob Zuma are informally building a case against the president. The aim would be to force Mbeki to agree to a general amnesty for those with dirty hands in the arms deal or face having to explain himself in court.
After leaving the Union Buildings in 2009, President Thabo Mbeki is likely to continue his peace-building efforts in Africa through a foundation set up for the purpose. According to Smuts Ngonyama, Mbeki’s aide, the president is considering numerous options on how to spend his time after 2009.