It was only a matter of time before it happened. Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace “Gucci” Mugabe are now being detained by the military. What is strange is that they are claiming this is not a coup but instead just an operation to “get rid of the criminals around him”. Of course, that is just a politically correct way of saying they have had enough of Mugabe and his cronies.
tanks on the streets of harare
There are tanks on the streets of Harare and the Zimbabwean people are no doubt on edge. The build-up to this started when the Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was dismissed from his position, in a move that was interpreted as making way for Mugabe’s wife to take over the country’s leadership. The 93-year-old President, who has been in power for 37 years has seemingly finally been stripped of his control and dominance.
Contrary to popular belief in the west, Robert Mugabe was actually a very popular leader. of course, he still has his supporters but they are not as adamant to defend him anymore. Mugabe carries on the long tradition of African leaders who just refuse to hand over power, even when it is clearly time to go. He could have retired a while ago and be half loved and half hated, but still left on his own terms. Now he will be remembered as another deposed despot and that could have been avoided. More details on Mugabe’s reign as leader
Robert Mugabe actually has alot of supporters still
While Mugabe has his fans who respect him, his wife is a bit less likeable character. She earned the nickname “Gucci” grace for her expensive taste in designer clothes, but that alone isn’t worth the army taking over the country for. It was her insane idea to just take over a country that was already tired of the Mugabe family. Unlike her Guerilla soldier husband, who is actually seen a warrior for the people by some. She is just seen as that loud, annoying woman who thinks she is entitled to the leadership because of her husband.
The Vice President is now likely to be reinstated and upgraded to President. How that transition works out is what makes this so tricky, as mentioned before the old man does have his supporters. If the people of Zimbabwe sit back and allow this detention to happen then, it is fair to assume they are done with the Mugabe family for good.
the last thing Zimbabwe needs is another war
The only thing we can hope for is that there is no bloodshed. The last thing Zimbabwe needs is a civil war, that country has seen enough suffering in the last 20 years. The images of tanks and soldiers driving around will bring back flashbacks of some of the bloody conflicts the continent has seen in the past and still suffering from today. We will be keeping s close eye on this one!
