Zimbabwe watches an era end

Some citizens celebrate while others are sceptical of political change

Zimbabweans reacted with a mix of caution and surprise that President Robert Mugabe’s long reign was possibly over, but many said the maverick leader could still stage a comeback.

“What happens next is anyone’s guess. It is by no means a done deal, and the situation remains fluid.” That is how a former editor of a daily newspaper described the situation.

As citizens woke up to news from Zimbabwe, some rejoiced, yet many others were sceptical about the turn of events. Alex Magaisa, a prominent Zimbabwean lawyer and politician, said: “It was Mugabe’s former allies who in the end administered the final assault, leaving him effectively without power.”

“There is no doubt that this marks the end of an era,” Magaisa wrote on his blog, The Big Saturday Read. “The demise of Mugabe’s rule will not be mourned. Instead, it will be celebrated. Mugabe’s long rule had become almost universally despised,” he added.

Former editor of Zimbabwe’s Daily Mirror, Chofamba Sithole, said: “I never thought I would live to see our version of what blighted much of West and Central Africa throughout their early years of independence... He incubated a succession crisis with his personal ambition,” Sithole wrote on his Facebook page.

But some Zimbabweans saw the move as inevitable change. “What has been happening in the ruling party and government was equally worrying, if not more,” said Robert Bhamu, a member of the ruling party’s Youth League.

Lindsay Thompson, an entrepreneur based in Harare, said: “It’s concerning when the army is involved. Will we ever hold free and fair elections again? Will they count for anything if the ruler is not a war veteran?”