Mugabe’s demise

Could Zimbabwe be free at last?

AS THE fate of Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old dictator Robert Mugabe remains uncertain, the turmoil was best summed up by Winston Churchill’s grandson Sir Nicholas Soames who said: “If it is not a coup then it is certainly its first cousin.”

The Tory MP has been a longstanding advocate of the plight of the repressed Zimbabwean people as the one-time jewel of Africa became an economic bread basket – his father Christopher was the last governor of Southern Rhodesia and oversaw Mugabe’s accession to power following independence.

Nearly 10 years after Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, tore up his dog collar live on television to highlight Mugabe’s abuse of power and to expose the world’s indifference, the current upheaval could, in fact, offer a way out for this deeply troubled country after decades of repression.

Though the fear is that one brutal dictator will be replaced by another in what appears to be a power struggle, it can only be hoped that the military takeover is only a temporary one; there are no guarantees that it will be the precursor to free and democratic elections – the ultimate objective – so Zimbabwe can, once again, become a powerhouse for southern Africa.

Time will tell – diplomatic efforts by world leaders need more purpose than previous endeavours – and a way will need to be found to support those brave people who want to be liberated from the living hell that they have endured for so long.