Last week there were a number of reports flying around that former finance minister Simba Makoni was starting a political party to run against Mugabe in the elections. According to a number of reports, he has the backing of a number of senior government officials, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), the armed forces and prominent business leaders. If these are all true it may deal a big blow to Mugabe’s campaign because he needs the backing of his ministers and security forces to cling-on to power.
BBC’s World Affairs editor John Simpson managed to make his way into Zimbabwe and on Monday the 14th he was interviewed live on the BBC’s News at 10 from an undisclosed location in Zimbabwe. He reported that Simba Makoni was breaking ties with ZANU PF and forming a party that will challenge Mugabe.
Dr Simba Makoni, a chemistry graduate, started of as a ZANU representative in Europe which impressed the powers that be. After independence he served as deputy minister of agriculture and minister of energy and of youth. He left the government and went on to become Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). After returning to Zimbabwe Mugabe appointed him as minister of finance. Dr Makoni is very popular within ZANU and the general population and may very well be the person to depose Mugabe. There are however a number of critics who say he is no match against Mugabe.
Mugabe has been in power for almost 28 years and Zimbabwe is long overdue for a change in leadership that has the interests of all of Zimbabwe’s citizens at heart. Can a successor who is/was a member of ZAUN-PF step-up and revive the country and not continue Mugabe’s legacy?
I’ve read this in The Economist and it does seem to me that to have a Zanu PF insider run for election against Mugabe might be the best chance yet for Zimbabwe. The only trouble is getting the fractious MDC on board with this.