HISTORY LIKELY TO REPEAT ITSELF: There has never been peaceful, constitutional change of leadership in Zimbabwe- political analyst

United Kingdom based Zimbabwean political commentator and lawyer Brighton Mutebuka says there has never been peaceful, constitutional change of leadership in Zimbabwe since independence.

He says during the liberation struggle, Robert Mugabe toppled Ndabaningi Sithole via the Mgagao Declaration & the Cdes pledging allegiance to him in Mozambique, with the late Solomon “Rex” Mujuru playing a Kingmaker role.

He writes:

1. There has never been a peaceful & Constitutional change of leader in the ruling party & gvt since independence, although everyone pretends otherwise.

2. During the liberation struggle, Robert Mugabe toppled Ndabaningi Sithole via the Mgagao Declaration & the Cdes pledging allegiance to him in Mozambique, with the late Solomon “Rex” Mujuru playing a Kingmaker role.

3. Still in Mozambique, the late Commander openly executed political rivals at gun point at the height of the Nhari Rebellion. Fast forward to the post-independence era, at various points between 1980 & 2017, Robert Mugabe repeatedly used the levers of state power to fend off his political rivals.

4. In November 2017, the roles were reversed, as a combination of ED & Chiwengwa used the same levers to topple him via a coup. After November 2017, ED has relied upon the same levers to crudely & brazenly forestall a loss of power.

5. Given the absence of a history, culture & practice of peaceful succession / handover of power, it’s more likely than not that ED will be succeeded unconstitutionally as well by a foe from his party / regime.

6. All the ingredients are bubbling underneath, sort of an eerie silence … or calm before the storm moment. We have got the theatre surrounding the Tshabangu debacle together with the attendant implosion in CCC acting almost as the perfect decoy / diversion for what appears to be an audacious attempt at a life presidency.

7. It is clear that there is highly likely to be a response to that real or perceived attempt, but this time from figures deeply embedded in the deep state who are capable & well resourced to sustain such a challenge.

8. Current slogans doing the rounds would not have gone unnoticed by other protagonists. Does this mark the opening salvo in a season steeped in what appears to be a gladiatorial & highly destabilising quest for power – as the contrived post-coup Entente Cordiale threatens to unravel dramatically? We will find out soon, won’t we?

9. The greatest conundrum in the dark art of authoritarianism is that it is not possible to know the precise time that a tyrant starts falling or losing power, though the benefit of hindsight always suggests otherwise.

10. The illusion of immortality creates a mirage like bubble of impenetrability … a misleading fortress of sorts – yet when the myth is finally shattered & the bubble bursts it confounds both tried & tested disciples & foes alike. For nomatter how high a man rises, he is always destined to fall, and fated to his brow colliding with mother earth, in a timeless ritual than many before have undertaken!

Conclusion

There is no man who is yet to master the fabled “Deathly Hallows.” All dominions will outlast mankind, with all our combined legacies fading in the distance with the passage of millenia like stars from distant galaxies, with no time to ask if the tyranny was ever worth all that hassle!

The End