Has Robert Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, been finally ousted from power?
A military spokesman went on Zimbabwean state TV and effectively declared Mugabe and his wife Grace under house arrest while denying a coup was underway.
The crisis began last week when Mugabe fired his longtime confidante Emmerson Mnangagwa who has served Mugabe in various capacities going back to well before the fight for independence. Grace Mugabe, who is seeking to succeed her 93-year old husband, has been the driving force behind Mnangagwa's firing. Mnangagwa is believed to be in neighboring South Africa.
The sad truth is that really doesn't matter who is in power in Zimbabwe. Whether its Robert Mugabe, Grace Mugabe, Mnangagwa or anyone else, life in Zimbabwe is nasty, brutish and short. If the AIDS doesn't kill you then starvation will and if famine doesn't kill then political violence will.
This isn't to say a power struggle would improve things much. Indeed, it would only add to Zimbabwe's misery.
But Zimbabweans are a resourceful people. They have to be. Moffat Makuto, a man I consider my mentor, saw the revolution first hand and also saw what it has become. Nevertheless, he is one of the most optimistic men I have ever met and many of his countrymen share his spirit and those who remain in Zimbabwe have somehow found a way to live in the midst of daily danger and death.
Of course, it will take decades for Zimbabwe to get back half way where it was before the revolution. In a country where things are bad there is a very good chance things are about to get much worse.
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