Zimbabwe’s fog of uncertainty

South Africa sends envoys to Harare as Mugabe confirms he’s a prisoner of the military he once commanded

Zimbabwe is on a knife’s edge after the military seized power in what it dubbed a targeted operation against “criminals” in the entourage of President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African nation for almost four decades.

It was not clear whether the apparent military coup would bring a formal end to the 93-year-old Mugabe’s rule. The main goal of the generals appeared to be preventing Mugabe’s wife Grace, 41 years his junior, from succeeding him.

Local media reported that South Africa’s defence and state security ministers, dispatched by President Jacob Zuma as regional envoys, arrived in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, and were expected to meet both Mugabe and the military. Their ultimate goal was not clear.

Zuma earlier called for “calm and restraint” and asked the defence forces “to ensure that peace and stability are not undermined in Zimbabwe”, South Africa’s neighbour, which has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past two decades.

The South African presidency said Mugabe had told Zuma over the phone that he was confined to his home — a prisoner of the military he once commanded — but was otherwise fine and the military said it was keeping him and his family safe.

Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa’s most promising states. He plunged Zimbabwe into a fresh political crisis last week by firing his VicePresident and presumed successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, for showing “traits of disloyalty”. The generals believed that move was aimed at clearing a path for Grace Mugabe to take over and army commander Constantino Chiwenga said they were prepared to “step in” if purges of their allies did not end.

Tanks blocked roads after dark and soldiers with automatic weapons kept up their patrols, but the situation appeared calm.

Questions have been raised about what might come next — military rule, a transitional government or a settlement that would allow Mugabe to return to power.

No matter what happens, it appears to be a watershed moment for Zimbabwe and southern Africa.

An army general told Zimbabweans that there was “not a military takeover,” although Mugabe had been detained and armoured vehicles were rolling into Harare.

Despite the assurances, the events bore all the trappings of a coup. Troops were stationed around the city. The army took over the television station. The army spokesman, Major General Sibusiso Moyo, warned in his televised statement that “criminals” in Mugabe’s regime were being targeted. Many residents of the capital remained paralysed — unsure if they should celebrate Mugabe’s ouster or prepare themselves for a new era of undemocratic rule.

Rumours spread that a number of cabinet ministers had been arrested. At least one, Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo, was taken from his home by soldiers, according to an aide. But the military remained tight-lipped about Mugabe, his wife and other members of Mugabe’s inner circle. .

On the streets of Harare, the news of the military takeover was greeted with cautious optimism by many. “We are happy that we are going to have another leader,” said a man who gave his name only as Yemurai. “Even if it’s going to be another dictator, we accept a new one. Look, we are jobless, hungry and poverty stricken. All we want is something different.”

“This is a disaster,” said Baxon. “Solving one problem by creating another. We don’t want another war, but it seems we are headed that way. We have heard there are people in the army not in agreement with what Chiwenga did.”

But there were mounting signs that Mugabe’s former allies were quickly turning against him.

Victor Matemadanda, secretary general of the powerful War Veterans Association, thanked Chiwenga for intervening and said Mugabe should be dismissed. “We will be recalling President Robert Mugabe as the first secretary of the party and the head of state for the crimes he has committed,” he said in a news conference.

Didymus Mutasa, a former presidential affairs minister who was fired by Mugabe in 2014, said he hoped that the military takeover would “help us start on a democratic process.”