The coalition government in Zimbabwe has been in existence for six months - probably the longest six months in the almost 30 year Zimbabwean history.

A coalition, according to Wikipedia, is “an alliance among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in his own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience.”

Given that definition, it is apparent that the ZANU PF/MDC-M/MDC-T coalition is not a coalition, but rather a mixture of differing political parties cobbled together and now working against each other to further their own cause.

Nothing that the power-sharing government has done in the last six months has done anything for the plight of the people of Zimbabwe.

The government - a loose descriptive word for a gathering of people with such varied political ethos - has spent more time arguing amongst themselves than they have being focused on the real problem. That is the spiralling cost of living whilst the life standards of the population falls to ever lower levels.

In the past few months we have seen an escalation by the Mugabe camp to try and convict MDC MPs of crimes of various descriptions. Rape, banditry, fraud - I could go on, but I am sure you get my gist.

The land grab continues apace, and the land is not given to the ‘landless blacks’ as promised - unless you count Mugabe’s faithful upper echelon as ‘landless blacks’.

And it is now apparent that the agreement signed with such pomp and circumstance in September last year is not being lived up to - especially by Mugabe.

He has appointed - unilaterally - the governor of the Reserve Bank, the Attorney General, and provincial governors. Granted, Mugabe has agreed that the provincial governors will be changed, but that the coalition government has to pay compensation to the individuals concerned as they will not see out their full term of office1

Why should the inclusive government pay for Mugabe’s tactless and thoughtless appointment of these people?

There were articles in the press yesterday and today that the MDC Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, had received a hand written death threat in the mail - together with a live bullet…

He did take the matter to the police - and I am amazed that they did not arrest him for possessing the round! That is the way that they think…

Okay, sending a hand written letter with a bullet to a government minister is not necessarily the work of the criminally minded, but more the work of Mugabe agitators, bent on playing with the minds of those they oppose.
If the bullet is anything to go by, then we must assume that these people have access to weapons. Bring them into play and see how many assumed Mugabe loyalists turn them on ZANU PF…

Mugabe does not have the easy reign on power that he would like us all to believe.

ZANU PF is broke, and is deeply factionalised. There is Mugabe allied with Mnangagwa, and then there is Solomon Mujuru, the former military supremo. How many more ZANU PF people have their eye on the crown?

They have seen how Mugabe has feathered his nest, and they want a slice of the action. And - like their esteemed leader - are prepared to do anything to achieve it.

The problem that Zimbabweans have is not the continued existence of Robert Mugabe, but the presence of so many more who want to enrich themselves as he has done.

And if that takes more lies and threats then so be it.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man