Categories: Stories

Dell thought that Operation Slash Prices was the final blow for Mugabe

Former United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell said a day before he left the country that he believed Operation Slash Prices was going to be the final blow for President Robert Mugabe.

The operation saw the government slashing prices of most commodities by more than 50 percent and led to massive looting especially by the police and members of the task force on price monitoring.

The massive looting left almost all supermarket shelves and retail shops empty, and most did not recover until the introduction of multiple currencies in 2009.

“I’m convinced the end is not far off for the Mugabe regime,” Dell said. “Of course, my predecessors and many other observers have all said the same thing, and yet Mugabe is still with us. I think this time could prove different, however, because for the first time the president is under intensifying pressure simultaneously on the economic, political and international fronts.

“In the past, he could always play one of these off against the other, using economic moves to counter political pressure or playing the old colonial/race/imperialist themes to buy himself breathing room regionally and internationally. But he is running out of options and in the swirling gases of the new Zimbabwean constellation that is starting to form, the economic, political and international pressures are concentrating on Mugabe himself.”

The former ambassador said that Mugabe had panicked and was making mistakes, possibly fatal mistakes.

“We need to keep the pressure on in order to keep Mugabe off his game and on his back foot, relying on his own shortcomings to do him in..”

Mugabe, however, survived the onslaught and is still president, five years down the line.

(28 VIEWS)

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

Recent Posts

ZiG loses steam, falls against US dollar for five consecutive days

The Zimbabwe Gold fell against the United States dollar for five consecutive days from Monday…

November 22, 2024

Indian think tank says Starlink is a wolf in sheep’s clothing

An Indian think tank has described Starlink, a satellite internet service provider which recently entered…

November 18, 2024

ZiG firms against US dollar for 10 days running but people still do not have confidence in the currency

Zimbabwe’s new currency, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), firmed against the United States dollars for 10…

November 16, 2024

Zimbabwe among the top countries with the widest gap between the rich and poor

Zimbabwe is among the top 30 countries in the world with the widest gap between…

November 14, 2024

Can the ZiG sustain its rally against the US dollar?

Zimbabwe’s battered currency, the Zimbabwe Gold, which was under attack until the central bank devalued…

November 10, 2024

Will Mnangagwa go against the trend in the region?

Plans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa to…

October 22, 2024