US Ambassador says Mugabe out of ideas to rescue Zimbabwe

Violet Gonda
29 June 2007

Last week the United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell caused controversy by predicting inflation would reach 1.5million percent by year-end and lead to an early Mugabe exit. This week the outspoken diplomat told journalists in Vumba, Manicaland province on Wednesday that Robert Mugabe was no longer relevant to Zimbabwe.
According to the news website ZimbabweJournalists.com, Dell said the regime had run out of new ideas to rescue the country from total collapse but pointed out there were some individuals within the government and ZANU PF who were able to offer solutions, should they be allowed to run the country.
The ambassador’s statements seem to be in line with media reports claiming that South Africa and the international community are entertaining the idea of supporting a reformed ZANU PF. Arthur Mutambara, president of one of the MDC factions, says the thinking seems to be that the problem is Robert Mugabe the person, and that anyone else will do just fine. But he disagrees with this.

Mutambara said: “Whilst Mugabe is the personification and cardinal symbol of this misrule, these traits are now deeply rooted within ZANU PF which is rotten to the core.” He said Zimbabwe is facing a systemic problem, a structural problem and an institutional challenge and that Mugabe is simply “the glue that keeps the rot together.”

The opposition movement says a reformed ZANU PF cannot bring about change in Zimbabwe as for 27 years it has created a culture that is rooted in ‘political illegitimacy, corruption, mismanagement of the economy and incompetence.’

Mutambara said because of this, every member of the ZANU PF politburo, Central Committee and Cabinet have a collective responsibility for the genocide that took place in Matabeleland and the economic collapse of country.

It’s been reported that the international community is supporting former Finance Minister Simba Makoni’s candidature, while inside ZANU PF the political heavyweights fighting for the throne are Vice President Joyce Mujuru and Rural Housing Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Mutambara says there is no one in ZANU PF, especially these officials, who have the moral authority to be a replacement to Mugabe and provide solutions to the country. He said: “So we disagree with Dell. The people of Zimbabwe will reject in a free and fair election a reformed ZANU PF. What we need in Zimbabwe are conditions for free and fair elections.”

The opposition leader added: “What we are saying to the international community, to the Africans, we are saying please let’s not see treacherous double standards, duplicity and hypocrisy from the international community.”

But critics say the international community is being left with no choice but to entertain the idea of a reformed ZANU PF because the opposition movement has shown itself to be weak and seriously divided.