Zimbabwe is set for another election marred by violence: will the Police do Mugabe's dirty work?

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely and when that happens, the whole edifice will come crashing down. Leaders are like the rocks seating at the top of a great mountain power tends to makes them think they are more important than the rocks below them and on whose shoulders they stand.

Absolute power makes the leaders think they are diamonds and the ruled are nothing but dirty in comparison.

The ruled are not inert rocks and they know when they are being treated like dirty and respond by withdrawing their support. Ordinary people can express their disapproval of their leaders by voicing the views through the various media, by holding public protests and, ultimately by booting the leaders come elections. Absolute rulers have countered by making sure that there was no freedom of expression, that all public protests are brutally repressed and that elections are not free and fair.

But after thirty year of tyrannical rule that has left millions of people in abject poverty and despair the Zanu PF dictatorship is finding it near impossible to retain its strangle hold on power. It can no longer whip Zimbabweans back in line and continue to support the regime. Thirty years of mismanagement, corruption, looting and brutal repression has eroded public support of Mugabe and his cronies. They are still the diamonds seating at the apex of a high mountain but with no supporting base!

In the past Mugabe had used lot more subtle means to retain power in the last ten years the pressure for change has forced him to through all caution to the wind. In the past Mugabe allowed his loyal supporters to be corrupt, in the last tens years he has allowed them to loot. In the past the Police, CIO and judiciary had turned a blind eye to Zanu PF inspired lawlessness now the Police, CIO and Army are spear heading the lawlessness and political murders. It is a measure of just how desperate Mugabe and Zanu PF are to retain power.

In 2008 Mugabe was forced to some extreme level of political violence in which millions were subjected to some form of intimidation, thousands were raped and hundreds were murdered. The whole international community refused to recognise Mugabe as the legitimate head of state of Zimbabwe after the sham elections. It was only through the stupidity of Tsvangirai and MDC who let the dictator off the hook by signing a bogus power sharing agreement.

To “win” the next election Mugabe and Zanu PF no choice but to use violence and evidence on the ground shows that is exactly their game plan. Mugabe has used the last three years to reorganise his party and overhaul and retool his terror machine. Another sham election will only mean Mugabe be rejected again and this time not even the stupid Tsvangirai will dare let the tyrant off the hook. The whole Mugabe dictatorship is set to crumple!

People like Brigadier-General Nyikayaramba, Police Commissioner Chihuri, ZDF commander Constantine Chiwenga and all the other high ranking Officers and Zanu PF leaders who are part and parcel of the dictatorship edifice are not going to abandon Mugabe; they will go down with the ship and captain!

It is the middle and lower ranking members of the Police, Army, CIO, etc who will have some tough decision to make in the coming months. The dictatorship would want they to play any increasing active role in the political violence. It will be infinitely better for them to be fired now than soil their hands with the blood of innocent people. All those found wanting in the carrying out of their duties as a Police Officer will never certainly lose their jobs after the collapse of the dictatorship. And those with blood on their hands will hang.

It is tragic that Zimbabwe has to go through yet another process in which the people have to demonstrate their resolve to rid the nation of this tyrannical dictatorship of Mugabe and the tyrant, for his part, has to resort to brute force to frustrate and deny the people their wish. The dictator will promise a lot to those ready to do its dirty work but whatever they get will be nothing compared with the punishment that will follow the fall of the dictatorship. The Mugabe dictatorship is doomed!

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@Townsend
Tsvangirai is naive and sometimes down right stupid. Mugabe is a ruthless murderer. It is not a crime to be naive but it is to murder.

Mugabe has murdered hundreds of Zimbabweans and with the coming elections will murder even more just to stop them electing a naive leader! Is that what you think should be Mugabe’s line of defence?

Tsvangirai was stupid enough to get Mugabe off the hook after the sham 2008 elections. Even he is not that stupid to do it again. Mugabe can get you, Townsend, as his legal adviser in the trail!