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The 9^th April 2012 headline on The Daily Mail screamed:  BREAKING NEWS: Robert Mugabe reportedly 'fighting for his life' in Singapore hospital due to undisclosed illness.  What was actually alarming about this article is the report attributed The Tehran Times claiming that Mugabe had entered into “a gentleman’s agreement” which would see Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa taking over the leadership of Zimbabwe.

Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the current Minister of Defense was Minister of State Security from 1982 to 1988. This means he oversaw the Gukurahundi massacres in which over 20 000 Ndebeles were brutally murdered. Mnangagwa also showed his propensity for brutality in the run up to & after the 2008 elections in which people were beaten, tortured, raped, murdered, others disappeared and scores were left homeless. Mnangagwa was Mugabe’s campaign manager in the highly contentious 2008 election. Mnangagwa has made it a point to portray Mugabe as vital so pictures of him looking frail are brutally censored.  It seems highly illogical to entrust a fragile nation to someone whose given middle name means trouble or distress. If The Tehran Times report is to be believed then this causes one to question whether Mugabe was compos mentis when he made the decision?

It is reported that Mugabe’s medical condition is said to be “critical”.  His family has reportedly chartered a flight to Singapore to be at his side. If diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks are to be trusted then the 88year old has prostate cancer which has metastasized (spread to other organs). Mugabe’s health (or lack thereof) has been the subject of much speculation over the last 5years. There have even been religious leaders predicting the demise of an African head of state which has been taken to mean the Zimbabwean octogenarian. Many people expressed great disenchantment after the death of 78year old Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi over Easter. Zimbabweans reacted with disappoinment & humour. One post on Facebook reads “I guess divine instructions were lost in translation, "And the Lord asked, if we take him who will lead the troubled nation in the transition?"  And the angel said "Joyce my Lord”.  And the Lord said "Take him then."  Moments later the Lord asked "Is he here yet? Bring him in he has a lot to answer to for the torment of my children." The Lord looks with utter surprise and disappointment and says "I said the 88 year old one not 78year old, and I meant Joyce Mujuru not Joyce Banda to take over. Ooops. (Act 2 scene II: enter Prophet Makandiwa)”

There is much worry that in the event of the death of Mugabe the two ZANU factions led by Vice President Joyce Mujuru and Mnangagwa would plunge Zimbabwe into civil war.  Mnangagwa’s hold on the army and State Security machinery is a great source of disquiet. At conception the Government of National Unity agreed that an election road map would be drawn up for free and fair elections after the bloody 2008 elections.  This has not been done as ZANU PF is holding the negotiations hostage by refusing to co-operate. Civic organisations have seen a sharp increase in politically motivated crimes. Opposition members are being assaulted and kidnapped. In the last three months reports coming out of Zimbabwe stated that the infamous torture camps were being revived in preparation for the rushed 2012 elections. These events do not bode well for the future of Zimbabwe.  Perhaps this would be a good time to send UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a smoke signal requesting for peace keepers before genocide occurs?

Audrey Charowa

Vice Secretary

MDC South East District