Are we already in a post Mugabe era?

Movement for Democratic Change secretary for local government Eddie Cross thinks so. “The baton has passed and although we remain under Robert Gabriel Mugabe rule, we are in a post Mugabe era,” he wrote in his Christmas column.

President Robert Mugabe went on his month-long annual leave two days after swearing-in two new vice-presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko with Mnangagwa as acting president.

This was despite the six-month infighting within the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front which had left a lot of people bruised and saw 15 ministers and Vice-President Joice Mujuru losing their jobs.

“We have just been through a political coup, a bloodless coup made possible by an alliance between the hard men and women in ZANU-PF and constitutional power in the form of the State President,” Cross wrote.

“Suddenly the squabbling confusion of multiple power centres in the State has been replaced by a single power centre and the succession issue seems to have been resolved.

“Mr. Mugabe has gone off on his annual leave in the Far East and will only be back in harness in mid to late January. He left behind a stunned party and a very shaken government and I do not think anyone should underestimate what has happened.

“The baton has passed and although we remain under Robert Gabriel Mugabe rule we are in a post Mugabe era.

“The new team at the helm knows exactly what they have to do, the only question is will they be allowed to get on with the process? That is the key question and one that can only be answered by time.

“The process of house cleaning and change is far from over and will be continued in 2015. The outcome will determine what sort of Christmas we will have next year. In the meantime we struggle on believing the adage ‘next year will be better’.”

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