BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI: How Mugabe turned from reconciliation to hatred
'Incongruous as it may sound, Mugabe was a pathfinder in racial reconciliation. Nelson Mandela applied Mugabe's template. But unlike Mandela, Mugabe changed tune'
It's all over bar the shouting. Robert Mugabe's time is up. The obituaries have already been written. Of his political demise, that is. Sure, he's still pottering about, but that's just theatre. He's biding his time. The pretence may continue for some time. But it's over. Nobody is shedding any tears for Uncle Bob. The man has blood on his hands. The performance of real, chilling significance, however, was the army tanks rumbling through the streets of Harare. Soldiers and power can be a toxic mix.Did it have to come to this? In confirming the coup d'etat - yes, that's what it is - the fierce-looking army spokesman referred to Mugabe as the commander-in-chief of the defence forces, even as the army had him detained in his own home. He was safe, the man assured Mugabe's supporters. But the president was obviously no longer in charge. The army was in control of the state. According to the army, the aim was not to target Mugabe, but to remove the "criminals" around him. But when you dr...
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