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Gyrations of a geriatric: Robert Mugabe at 88

Posted on: Wed February 22, 2012

Our infuriating neighbour, who cunningly clings to his cushy job after 32 years, despite losing the elections he violently subverted in 2008, has vowed to lead his Zanu-PF into elections again this year, with or without a new constitution and regardless of the views of President Jacob Zuma.

Zimbabwe"s President Robert Mugabe turned 88 yesterday, continuing to defy all his enemies, real or imaginary, including the Grim Reaper.

"As of now I am fit as a fiddle," he said in an interview on state-owned Radio Zimbabwe, hinting at immortality.

Even his erstwhile allies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are growing weary of him.

At the summit on Zimbabwe last June, Botswana"s vice-president Mompati Merafhe, complained that Mugabe: "is keeping the region in crisis mode when its presidents want to focus on economic development".

And President Zuma changed the tone and pace of reforms in Zimbabwe last year, directly criticising Zanu-PF for obstructing democratic reforms and frustrating Mugabe"s plans to rush into elections in 2011, even if he did not entirely stop his rhetoric to that effect. Zuma and his tough chief negotiator, Lindiwe Zulu, frustrated Mugabe"s hopes to fight elections last year by insisting that the Global Political Agreement (GPA), which Mugabe"s Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions signed in September 2008, had to be implemented.

That basically meant that the political playing field had to be levelled before elections took place, which in turn meant that a constitution which embodied the necessary reforms would have to be drafted and submitted for public approval in a referendum.

But thick-skinned Mugabe carries on regardless, simply wearing down his enemies with his stamina.

After tackling Mugabe, Zuma let the pressure ease as the ANC centenary drew near and pressing domestic priorities  such as dealing with the ANC Youth League"s Julius Malema and international commitments such as trying to get the African Union involved in ending the Libyan civil war  crowded his calendar.

The first draft of the new constitution  crafted by all three parties  is nevertheless now complete. It effectively precludes Mugabe from standing again for the presidency by setting retroactive presidential term limits and so Zanu-PF flunkies have vowed to reject it.

Mugabe himself said, in an interview with the fawning Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation on the eve of his birthday, that he hadn"t even read that draft. But, he said, if he and Zanu-PF did not like it, or it was unduly delayed, the old constitution could be used for fresh elections.

He also reserved the right to reject Zuma as SADC mediator  which of course he won"t. He may choose to accuse the rest of the world of being "imperialists", but he can"t say that to the regional power bloc, which does have some influence over him.

Zimbabwe itself somehow manages to muddle along, regardless of its poor leadership.

There are short, sharp bursts of violence  the MDC claimed two of its supporters were killed by Zanu PF this month  and arrests of MDC MPs and supporters still occur regularly.

Mugabe and Zanu-PF continue to abuse their monopoly of power in a host of different ways every day. But, by and large, despite Zimbabwe still suffering severely from the legacy of Mugabe"s disastrous management of the economy, children still attend school, hospitals receive patients and there is relatively little serious crime.

Yet Zimbabwe quite literally cannot afford Mugabe indefinitely. Apart from the indirect costs of a protracted political crisis and the legacy of bad economic policies, Mugabe"s direct spending is unaffordable.

Armies of state workers maintain his three-storey, privately owned mansion in Harare, and he continually abuses state funds by travelling with hordes of aides wherever and whenever he chooses.

He visited Asia at least eight times last year, for treatment for his prostate cancer and failing eyesight as well to allow his young wife, Grace, to shop.

In a tiny economy like Zimbabwe"s, the travel budget for he and his entourage in 2011 was greater than that for fixing and re-equipping thousands of dilapidated schools.

Only 22 percent of the amount allocated to non-salary expenditure for education in 2011 was disbursed, while Mugabe managed to get nearly 80 percent allocated to his budget in 2011.

At least, over his birthday, he conceded that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, prime minister in the inclusive government, is no longer an "enemy" but a political "opponent."

Uncharacteristically, he also said of the MDC: "We may differ politically, religiously, even ethnically But at the end of the day we are all Zimbabweans and that is what counts much more than anything else."

Tsvangirai must have heaved a sigh of relief at a time when he is getting flak from his supporters for failing to counter Mugabe"s strategies to block reforms  though he may also have winced a bit later when Mugabe suggested Tsvangirai should come clean about allegations  widely punted in the pro-Zanu-PF state media  that he has misappropriated state funds.

Mugabe has warned that his "presidential powers" allow him to dissolve parliament and call elections whenever he wants.

He says he is still fit enough to fight the next elections and won"t retire yet.

He also says it would be too divisive for Zanu-PF to choose a successor at present as a successor needs to be "groomed."

In the interview with Radio Zimbabwe he dismissed the wishful rumours about his ill health by saying; "I have died many times. That"s where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and resurrected once. I have died and resurrected and I don"t know how many times I will die and resurrect."

Despite such delusions of immortality, he is really not physically fit enough to lead Zimbabwe for another term, even if he were not disqualified on other grounds.

He is tired. He cannot stay awake through cabinet and other important meetings.

He is a geriatric, with a much younger wife who, with reckless abandon, kicks people out of their houses to extend her already extensive land holdings.

It is up to Zuma, when he goes to Zimbabwe next month to resume the negotiations, to tell our neighbour to start acting his age. Independent Foreign Service

Courtesy: DailyNews