Informed Speculation

Zimbabwe's military and its police officials declared themselves beforehand in support of Robert Mugabe. Their menacing statements to the effect that they would not recognize anyone other than he as the rightful president of their country, that any others would be impostors, sent a chilling message to the electorate.

Despite which, a determined public voted as they saw fit. People do become fed up with desperation and lack of food and vital medicines; listless with a fading of hope for the future. The population finally brought itself to the point of resolve to oust a brutal dictator, one for whom the singular purpose for governance was to line his pockets and that of his confreres. To celebrate his very existence as the saviour of his country from Western imperialism.

The staggering and growing rates of HIV and AIDS within the population, the sky-high inflation rate, the scarcity of foods and pharmaceuticals, all mark a country that has sunk about as low as it conceivably could. And yet, throughout the election process, most people behaved in an orderly and disciplined manner, despite their anxiety and desperation for change.

Despite all the government demagoguery and brightly confident assurances that he would remain as president of Zimbabwe, to further beggar that already impoverished country, the ballot spoke. Despite all the ill-conceived and illegal machinations to turn the tide in his favour, once again, a majority of determined Zimbabweans voted for the major opposing figure, Morgan Tsvangirae.

Now it's a matter of allowing that mighty human rights abuser to save face. His supporters in the South African government would have it no other way. They're eager to offer refuge to him, to help him to avoid future prosecution in his country's higher courts. Where he would stand accused of war crimes, murder on a grand scale, of depriving his countrymen of a future, of abusing white landowners, and taking his country to ruin while he and his henchman got rich.

Little wonder the military and the police supported him; they were well compensated to do so, while the rest of the population lived in penury and despair. Mr. Mugabe will handily escape justice. On some pretext or another, he will travel in state to South Africa, where President Thabo Mbeki will welcome that grand old lion of freedom with welcome arms. Other, lesser political lights will be charged with corruption and human rights offences.

And finally, that country, once a celebrated regional breadbasket, will be able to slowly pull itself out of the morass of corruption, incompetence and greed that has too long marked its downfall.