New day in Zimbabwe
A low-key military coup ousts a ruinous leader
The Zimbabwe Defense Forces’ takeover of government in Zimbabwe Tuesday can constitute the beginning of the rebirth of what is a promising African state with sound potential after 37 years of increasingly ruinous rule by President Robert G. Mugabe, now 93.
Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, with Mr. Mugabe at the head, after British colonial rule followed by an abortive attempt at self-declared independence governed by its 6 percent white minority, started well. The country’s economy was sound and mixed, with commercial and food agriculture, mining, light industry and decent infrastructure. Mr. Mugabe in his inaugural speech promised to protect the nervous white minority, so it wouldn’t leave, and to provide a decent life to all Zimbabweans.
Instead, he first brought in North Koreans to train a brigade that he then used to annihilate the rival liberation movement to his, ZAPU. It was composed of fighters from the Ndebele tribe, in competition with his own tribe, the Shona. Then he began handing the white-owned farms over to tribal cronies, who didn’t bother to make them produce. Then he systematically continued to destroy the Zimbabwean economy through despotic rule, producing what is now monstrous unemployment, a valueless currency and a continuing outflow of skilled refugees to neighboring South Africa.
The last straw for the army came when he — or someone — began to take steps to set up his second wife, Grace Mugabe, as his successor, as he himself became increasingly wizened and senile. His longtime prime minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a likely successor, was ousted a few days ago to make way for Ms. Mugabe. The army, which wouldn’t stand for that, took action. He is now under house arrest. She has reportedly fled to neighboring Namibia.
There will now be shuffling around as the military and politicians decide who gets what in a reconstituted government. Part of that will involve distributing posts of authority among representatives of the various Shona clans. The military is claiming that what it has done should not be considered a coup d’etat, given international penalties that go with that designation.
The Southern African regional organization, SADC, and the African Union must insist that the ZDF name a date for elections and, thus, a handover of authority back to civilians, within a reasonable period.
In the meantime, there is plenty to do for whoever governs Zimbabwe, a nation of 16 million with a bright past and future. The basic task will be to resuscitate and rebuild the economy, to enable it to provide Zimbabweans the life that their country’s ample resources make possible, absent the cold, dead hand of Mr. Mugabe.
South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, and his ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who aspires to succeed him as president, should be watching closely what is happening in Zimbabwe. Let’s hope they conclude that they should not try to do likewise.