Seeking justice in Zimbabwe: Mugabe deserves his day in court

Robert Mugabe, the former president of Zimbabwe must be a happy man even in his “retirement”. Having been deposed through a military coup in November 2017, the former president has cut a lone figure at his blue roof mansion in the leafy suburb of Borrowdale.

Months after his ousting, the former president vented anger and frustration describing the events of the November 2017 as unconstitutional. In the days leading to the 2018 elections, he shocked even those in ZANU when he appeared to endorse MDC Alliance Presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa when he gave an exclusive press conference highlighting that he was not going to vote for his tormentors. On Election Day he received a rousing welcome in Highfield when he went to cast his vote. All this was taking place against a background where Mugabe’s 37-year rule was marked by disappearances, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detention. How people forget. What is even unfortunate is that in the current discourse, no one seems to ask pertinent questions on the need for justice to people who even today remain victims of Mugabe’s violent rule. For now, the prospects for a criminal prosecution of Mugabe in the Zimbabwe look somewhat distant. Some have expressed fears that a trial so quickly after the coup could be destabilizing, while there are also questions about Zimbabwe’s current capacity to deal with historical abuses.

Once Zanu, always Zanu

The late Professor John Makumbe (may his soul rest in eternal peace) once remarked in 2009 during a public meeting at Ambassador Hotel that the problem we had in Zimbabwe is Mugabe. He went on further to reveal that the ZANU PF that had become notorious for not reforming was a system that was deliberately created by Mugabe to serve his interests alone. Professor Makumbe did however highlight that the only thing that was working against Mugabe was his age and pointed out that either death or military coup will one day depose him off this comfort.

Recently former First lady Grace Mugabe revealed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa chartered a plane for her while she was in Singapore to attend the funeral of her mother. In a move that appeared to prove that the former had indeed come to terms with the fact that he was no longer president, Mugabe went on to reveal that it was time to put behind events of November last year in which he resigned just before conclusion of his impeachment proceedings by Parliament. Mugabe remarked that “There was an election, Zanu-PF was represented by Emmerson Mnangagwa and (Nelson) Chamisa represented MDC Alliance and results came out saying the person who won was Emmerson Mnangagwa and I said now it’s clear,” said Mugabe.“You can’t dispute it. It is now clear. What had been in dispute has corrected through the election results. We have accepted the result and we hope that we will continue respecting the will of the people. The gun does not and should not lead politics,” he said. In his comment especially where he retorts that “the gun does not and should not lead politics”, Mugabe is maintaining that his ousting was unconstitutional and that future engagements between him and Mnangagwa will be premised on that fact.

The endorsement by Mugabe justifies the widely held notion that former ZANU PF members must always be treated with suspicion as in the past several ex-Zanu pf members have struggled to cut the umbilical cord from the party. When Mugabe realized that the MDC Alliance had failed to wrestle power from ZANU PF he put his selfish interest ahead of everything else. The latest move by Mugabe is no surprise as in recent months he had appealed that his blue roof mansion was falling apart, harassment of his wife and delay in the processing of his benefits and the person to address all his problems is Mnangagwa.

The latest move by Mugabe is pregnant with life lessons that have to be prioritized. Firstly for President Mnangagwa, trying to seek Mugabe’s endorsement by offering unnecessary luxuries is doomed to fail. It is an anathema to democracy and allows dictatorship to reign supreme. It only benefits those at the top and unless all conflicting parties are satisfied, which is impossible, it only encourages factions within his party to demand what they believe is due to them. More to the point, Mugabe himself has a reputation of not forgiving his enemies. The gesture extended to the former president can give him enough space and time to regroup with his G40 cabal which will continue to seek to destroy the party from within.

Secondly, for the opposition party (MDC Alliance) the endorsement of Mnangagwa by Mugabe serves as a lesson to remind people that there is no one who leaves ZANU PF permanently. Due to the factions within the party, falling out of favour does not necessarily mean that one will not retrace their roots at some point in their political life. The political landscape is littered with examples of people (ie Joyce Mujuru) who have failed to cleanse themselves from their former party. Going forwad, if there is need for alliances (which I doubt) there is always need to carry out scenario mapping exercises that incorporates the “what ifs” of politics and make sober judgments.

Thirdly and lastly, for the ordinary citizen it will be critical to begin to hold government to account on its expenditure. Where did Mnangagwa get the resources to chart a plane for the former first lady? In the wake up of cholera and typhoid outbreak, would it not be prudent for the President to prioritize health care? Citizens and other various stakeholders within their various spaces would do well holding government to account.

In the final analysis, Mugabe must be hold to account for past atrocities he committed during his tenure. It won’t be today and it may not be next year or even the year after that. But one day, the political and legal conditions for justice for Mugabe and his cronies will be met. It will take a lot of work to make that day happen, but there’s no shortage of effort and energy in Zimbabwe to realize justice for Mugabe’s crimes.

Rawlings Magede writes here in his personal capacity. He tweets at @rawedges and contactable on vamagede@gmail.com