After Zimbabwe’s Diet Coup

The past few weeks witnessed the dramatic culmination of a protracted contestation for power in Zimbabwe between various factions.

Written by Itai Michael Preston Choto

Dec 21, 2017

Zimbabweans watch a televised address to the nation by President Robert Mugabe at a bar in downtown Harare, Zimbabwe Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has baffled the country by ending his address on national television without announcing his resignation.BEN CURTIS/AP

The past few weeks witnessed the dramatic culmination of a protracted contestation for power in Zimbabwe between various factions. The former vice-president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, emerged as the victor and First Secretary of the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the third president of the Republic of Zimbabwe on the 24th of November, 2017, albeit through an unprecedented quasi-reset of the political stage. One of the key lessons in politics is that loyalty is fickle and interests are permanent. Less than 7 days before President Robert Mugabe was recalled from ZANU-PF as its First Secretary, many from within the party were cheering him and declaring that he would be their candidate in next year’s harmonized elections. However, just a few weeks on and many of his supporters have evidently changed course.

As an individual who has always believed that politics must not be led by the gun, the presence of the military on the foreground of Zimbabwean politics unsettles me. This is not only because of the precedence it sets but also because praetorian politics are never a harbinger of democracy or development, but rather one of repression and plunder. This culmination of events was a major overreach by the military and a direct violation of the Zimbabwean constitution. There is, furthermore, a huge danger associated with this military intervention as research has found that coups often create unstable political climates that lead to more coups in the future.

Amina Ibrahim, for instance, argues that a necessary precondition for coups is “the state of the national economy”, and the current biting state of the weak economy may have prompted the efforts of the Zimbabwean military. It is also postulated that the coup may have been spearheaded by the Chinese government to secure their interests; however, Jonathan Holslag disagrees stating: “If China is guided by any strategy, it is the strategy of adapting to political realities, rather than trying to shape them.” Whatever the case, demilitarising the politics of Zimbabwe after these recent events will not be easy; it should, however, be a priority, because if it does not happen, quite certainly, there will be a constant replay of military interventions and changing political coalitions. The military takeover strongly suggests that the men in uniform are intent on determining the country’s political trajectory.

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About the Author

Itai Michael Preston Choto

is a political analyst at the Trade and Investment department of the Commonwealth.

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After Zimbabwe’s Diet Coup