By Jonathan Clayton, Africa Correspondent
Times Online
A power-sharing deal between President Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change would be a very “African solution to an African problem”.
If, as was expected last night, a deal is struck that allows Robert Mugabe to remain in Zimbabwe, the 84-year-old will live out the rest of his life in luxury in the £8 million retirement home he built during his 28-year rule. He will be free to entertain acolytes in his splendid villa built at taxpayers’ expense within view of the people he has reduced to penury.
Some may not begrudge him such a retirement: they are prepared to pay any price to see him out of power.
Western countries, particularly Britain, will hate the deal, but Mr Mugabe has outfoxed them throughout his career. “Yes, it is an African solution to an African problem — but remember, most African leaders believe the Zimbabwe crisis is as much the fault of the United Kingdom as it is of Mugabe,” a source close to the negotiations told The Times.
The former colonial power is seen as having reneged on the Lancaster House agreement that gave Zimbabwe independence in 1980 by failing to help to end land inequality whereby 4,000 white farmers occupied 96 per cent of productive agricultural land.
Diplomatic sources said that negotiations were focusing on a power-sharing deal that would involve roles for both Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change. Such a deal would be aimed at honoring Zanu (PF)’s historic role in “liberating” the country from British rule. It conveniently also means that while Zanu (PF) is still in government Mr Mugabe has de facto immunity from prosecution for “crimes” committed in office.Mr Mugabe was said to be emphasising in the negotiations the need to accord a former freedom-fighter “respect and dignity”. In Africa this argument still resonates and few people would want to see Mr Mugabe facing a humiliating show trial at The Hague similar to that being conducted against the former Liberian President Charles Taylor.
That means that Mr Mugabe’s clampdown, which some of his critics called a genocide, on opponents in Matabeleland in the 1980s will be overlooked, as will more recent human rights abuses.
For his part, Mr Mugabe is expected to live out his days in the sumptuous 25-bedroom retirement home that for years he sought to avoid. The three-story mansion is reported to have four acres of floor space, with Italian marble and ceilings decorated by Arab craftsmen. It sits in 44 acres of woodland in the exclusive Harare suburb of Borrowdale.
One of Mr Mugabe’s neighbors will be Mengistu HaileMariam, the former dictator who killed thousands of people during Ethiopia’s Marxist revolution. He was granted sanctuary in Zimbabwe in 1991 and has subsequently fought off all attempts to make him face justice before international tribunals.
Such compromises are seen as the only way to ensure that African leaders, no matter how reluctantly,do eventually relinquish power.
That may not be to the West’s taste but it is a reality of life in Africa and one that the victims of such regimes accept.
Kenya’s former dictator Daniel arap Moi stole billions and now lives the life of a grand old statesman in western Kenya, often offering to mediate in the region’s seemingly intractable disputes, among them Darfur.
“Even many of Mugabe’s opponents would not want to see him vilified before foreign courts seen as being in the hands of colonial oppressors. It may be nonsense but it is a sign of the strength of lingering hostility from colonial days,” the diplomatic source added.
12 thoughts on “A very African solution: Mugabe’s power sharing deal”
The power sharing idea is some kind of practical joke intended to keep some power after losing all the powers.
For dictators it is always too little too late. They keep wasting scare time and other resources being completely exhausted in baboonic boastful chest drumming tragic comedy until the poor chest become unusable any more.
At that point the game is already over!
what is the story with Mengistu, wife and children?
What a news!!! This will be a lesson to all World dectator leaders, specialy Africans’. They have to see what will happen when time allows for the oppressed. They all have to face jusice, even Mugabe!!!! What a “LAST SUPPER” for the devils.
But I still demand the west to help The Ethiopian People hung The woyanne Terrorist Meles Zenawi of Adwa-Ethiopia handed over to world tribunal alive or his head on a platter!!
This man is solely responsible for deaths of millions within Ethiopia and neighboring countries. African children would sleep peacfully the day Meles Zenawi and his bloody tribesmen removed and handed over to the hague world tribunal. Not helping the Ethiopian people to achieve and enjoy its deserved freedom, peace makes the west as accomplice to their sufferings at the hands of the most unrecognized beribric regime for years to come. West end your blind eye response to such genocide that is being carried out by Mr. Meles Zenawi and his agents of death the party known as TPLF/EPRDF.
I hope Ethiopians will also push for the hated Woyane group and Meles, and if it means some of them can keep the wealth they have looted from poor Ethiopians the last seven years, so be it. We have to start pushing for the ouster of Meles from Ethiopian politics and the peaceful transfer of power to the duly elected leaders during the May 15, 2005 election.
Long live to Mugabe who has understud as there is no victory with out sacrifise.
Folks,
Mugabe may have been a dictator, but it is the West that had driven him to to be a wounded beast in a corner. The US and its Junior partner the British are simply greedy and selfish elements with no concern for the welbeing of Africans. The sooner we realize that the West is not going to be our saviour the better. Now, one can say a lot of things about how things should have been this and that. The bottom line is we the people of Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea need to realize that we have more common than difference and we should work what is mutually best for our people without succumbing to the evil Bush or Brown adminstrations. It is only when we are united in action and purpose, that the rest of the world would take note and basically leave us alone. When they find any crack, they more than likely would be tempted to widen that gap that “Separates” us. If we can not get our acts together, then we don’t have anybody to blame for our demise short of ourselves.
i think mugabe deserves respect he loves his country his nation and that is why he transferd not only power the lands taken by white people to his own people by doing that he earned a big enamies from the west they want us to think mugabe is a dectator & evil man . Like every one of us mugabe has good & evil but let’s not denaying he’s done a lot good things for his country let us suport him for transfery the power peacefully
Mugabe`s soul will burn in hell for the sins he commited on earth,even if he he is exempted from Zembawean justice, but Meles and his Woyane stooges should have thier eternal hell both on earth and after they die, since the have commited an imaginable crime againest the Ethiopian people.
Let this story be a lesson to Ethiopians in the diaspora who somehow thing big ol’ USA is going to deliver them democracy, the US and former European colonia powers only care about their interest and the interest of Europeans in Africa, they could care less about democracy, to the contrary a democracy that works for Africans is an enemy of the west. The only time Britain and its allies started to call Mugabe a dictator is when he took the fertile farm lands from the whites who took that land during colonial times and gave it to Zimbabweans of African origin, as long as he was serving their interests and letting the white farmers own the land he was a freedom fighter, when he reversed course he became a dictator.
My Ethiopian friends, take this as learning experience and follow Eritrea’s lead. Develop your country on your own without depending on western powers to deliver you a mythical democracy that you crave for. True freedom is gained by fighting for it in unisom. Why do you think Eritrea is considered as one of the premiere “human rights abusers” and “religious oppressors” by the bogus annual state department country report? not because the united Eritrean people are having their voices muzzled by their government, it is because the people and government of Eritrea chose to be free and won’t be told by western powers what to do. In about a decade you will see a lot of Africans following the lead of Eritrea and starting to assert their freedom by themeslves. Time for the Ethiopian diaspora to work on uniting their countrymen and women who are suffering under the client Woyanne regime and assert their freedom through their own internal efforts. The struggle will not be easy or quick but the fruit of freedom will be sweet for countless generations to come.
Eritrawi,
Well said and I couldn’t agree more with you more. Let the enemies of both the Eritrean and Ethiopian people (to use Mugabe’s phrase) “go hang”!
It is true that the West and its Allies only act only when it is in their interest.We Africans should find solutions to our own problems.Yes you are right when you said that Mugabe was labled dictators when he stopped serving the interest of the West and its Allies.I will even say that even though the Derg regime was at times bad on human rights,its position on Unity and the interest of Ethiopia and Ethiopians was better than the Ethno-centric Woyanne regime.The time will come for Zenawi and his croonies.Do the right thing no matter what.At the end you will be the winner.