TOM EATON: Grace 'The Hammer' Mugabe and the coup that wasn't a coup
'Of course‚ it’s not a coup. The man in the uniform‚ who had taken the TV station by force and who said he was now in charge of the country‚ was at pains to make that clear'
The events unfolding in Zimbabwe are alarming. As we speak‚ South African medical aid schemes are meeting to discuss raising premiums ahead of the possible arrival of Grace “The Hammer” Mugabe‚ while Rolls Royce dealers are frantically trying to get extra stock in anticipation of vast amounts of money that need urgent laundering. Of course‚ it’s not a coup. The man in the uniform‚ who had taken the TV station by force and who said he was now in charge of the country‚ was at pains to make that clear. Rather‚ he explained‚ the Zimbabwe military was “pacifying a degenerating political‚ social and economic situation”. Which‚ translated from Coup into English means‚ “The army just got gatvol of being paid in IOUs‚ then promises of IOUs‚ then Lego pieces with ‘Z$500’ painted on them in Grace’s nail-polish‚ and finally lint and stray buttons from the Palace Sewing Room”. Whichever way this goes there will be an urge in the media to paint the coup leaders – sorry‚ I mean pacifiers – as libe...
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