Nancy Mabaya- International Editor
VANCOUVER ISLAND– Today officially marks the beginning of the end of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule as Zimbabwe president, as protests planned for the day, whether or not they succeed, will result in a political process to establish a transitional government in Harare, reportedly backed by world powers China and the U.S. ,Spotlight Zimbabwe, can exclusively report.
High level diplomatic sources and some Zimbabwean businessmen, this week corroborated that Washington and Beijing have unusually combined forces to push for a transitional government in the country, “until full democracy and wholesale reforms are restored”.
A transitional government is a caretaker government. It is put in place in the absence of a legitimate governing authority. It is made up of appointed officials/ politicians/ groups that serve for a limited time period with a limited mandate that seeks to assist the country in creating an enabling environment for a proper government to be put in place, i.e. to transit from a state of conflict to a democratically elected government.
Mnangagwa who is evidently having sleepless nights over coup fears, and suspicion that a significant membership of the ruling Zanu PF politburo, has switched allegiance to endorse Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, as his immediate replacement to run the party and government, is feeling the heat of today’s protests against corruption and the pillaging of national resources organised by the opposition, thus resorting to a desperate deployment of security forces, who started clearing the streets of the capital as early as yesterday.
The economy is in a worsening tailspin, and annual inflation has soared to over 737 percent. Salaries and pensions in local currency are now worth so little that nurses have gone on strike until they get paid in US dollars, causing a shortage that this week led to seven stillborn babies born in one night at a major hospital in Harare, GZERO, a media company dedicated to providing the public with intelligent and engaging coverage of global affairs, has reported.
“Protests in Zimbabwe on 31 July, whether or not they succeed, are a harbinger of a U.S./China engineered transitional government coming to your country,” said an American envoy now working for The Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, last week during an encounter with this reporter in Seattle.
“That transitional government, which is also being supported by China, shall run things until full democracy and wholesale reforms are restored. A group of wealthy Zimbabwean businessmen, one of them with strong contacts with us have pledged to lobby the IMF and World Bank, to extend an economic package for the transitional administration, and as we speak key decisions about a post-order of the current government have already been made, at the highest political level both in Washington and Beijing.”
A Zimbabwean businessman and banker with his head offices in Asia, said although China and the U.S. have their own policy differences, they have “unusually combined forces” on the need for a caretaker regime in Harare, as they both have strategic economic, political and military interests in the country.
“Don’t be fooled by the bravado being displayed by this government (Mnangagwa’s government),” said the banker. “Aenda uye (That president is going soon). It’s not a secret anymore that America wants him out, and China has also cut him off. Take it from me, our next president to manage this transitional administration is VP Chiwenga. Haasi kunyararira pasina (He’s not quiet for no reason). The Chinese military and political leadership is supporting him to takeover the presidency from the one in office, until the term in office they were supposed to serve is over. There was initially resistance from the U.S. for the VP to lead the transitonal government, but compromise has been made because Washington wants to invest in Zimbabwe, and they have also concluded that the chances of the opposition of winning power in 2023 are remote, therefore they can’t afford to continue losing out to China in Zimbabwe.”
Efforts to contact the Chinese and U.S. Embassies in Harare were fruitless, as their telephone lines were busy. Mobile phone numbers of the respective communication officers of both missions, were unreachable.
The U.S. Embassy in Harare released a “Demonstration Alert” on Zimbabwe to it’s citizens in the country on Wednesday.
