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Zimbabwe’s prolonged political crisis reached the boiling point earlier this month when President Robert Mugabe dismissed the Vice-President, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
A battle to succeed the 93-years-old liberation hero-turned. President had already been brewing within the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), with the old guard backing Mr Mnangagwa, himself a freedom fighter and ‘Generation 40’, a grouping of younger leaders supporting Mr Mugabe’s 52-years-old wife, Grace.
Ms Mugabe, known for her extravagant lifestyle and interfering ways, has been vocal in recent months about her political ambitions. ‘Mr Mugabe was seen to have endorsed her when on November 6 he dismissed Mr Mnangagwa.
But Mr Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, erred on two counts: he underestimated the deep connections Mr Mnangagwa has within the establishment and overestimated his own power in a system he has helped shape.
In the good old days, Mr Mugabe was able to rule with an iron grip. But those days are gone. Age and health problems have weakened his hold on power, while there is a groundswell of anger among the public over economic mismanagement.
So, when he turned against a man long seen by the establishment as his successor, Mr Mugabe left little doubt that he was acting from a position of political, weakness.
This gave the security forces the confidence to turn against him and make it clear they didn’t want a Mugabe dynasty. The military doesn’t want to call its action a coup detat, for obvious reasons.
A coup would attract international condemnation, even sanctions. But it is certain that the army chief, Gen Constantino Chiwenga, is in charge, His plan, as it emerges, is to force Mr Mugabe to resign and install a transitional government, perhaps under Mr Mnangagwa, until elections are held.
In the paragraph, who has been called liberation hero?
