Dear Editor,
It is difficult to fathom the mind of an 84-year-old leader who continues to cling to power in the face of insurmountable unpopularity. Those who have been paying attention to developments in Zimbabwe must be asking themselves, “What is driving Mugabe?” Here are a few carefully considered possible reasons for Mugabe’s actions:
(1) Betrayal: Mugabe feels betrayed by those members of the Movement for Democratic Change whom he sees as ‘turncoats’ or ‘sellouts.’ He sees himself as an African liberator who is fighting for the rights of Africans and should never be challenged.
(2) Gukurahundi: the massacre in Matabeleland in the 1980s is foremost on Mugabe’s mind. He is concerned about facing criminal charges in The Hague once he demits office. His enemies in the West would pursue this option with the passion of 10,000 suns.
(3) Conspiracy: Mugabe is also convinced that all opposition is part of a conspiracy against him because he dared to push land reform policies. He believes that all the brouhaha is a result of plotting by white farmers in smoke-filled rooms in western capitals. In his revolutionary mindset, this should be met with violence and nothing else.
(4) Revolutionary: Robert Mugabe has a revolutionary outlook; he is not concerned about world opinion or his legacy and believes in fighting to the death like a real revolutionary.
While one cannot deny that Mugabe was declared persona non grata by the West because he demanded Africa for African, his response has been reactionary and short sighted. Mugabe should have passed the baton to his former protege, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long time ago. He now finds himself in an inescapable political cul-de-sac, and unlike Castro, history will not even consider absolving him.
Yours faithfully,
Ronald Austin, Jr
