UPDATED: Zimbabwe braces for military coup to oust Mugabes

Assiduous readers of WWW will know that Walt has a keen interest in Zimbabwe, that failing state in the southern part of the Dark Continent where he lurked [worked, surely! Ed.] in the last decade of the 20th century. Walt got out just before the country's currency tanked completely, but still follows the news from the land of bambazonke. (If you ever lived there, you'll know what that means.)

The present state of play is that the Mugabe's rule, as has been the case since independence in 1980. Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, on the right in the picture, started out as Prime Minister, then became President as well, and later decided the country didn't need a prime minister anyway. He is now said to be wondering if there's any point in having himself declared Emperor. Perhaps President-for-Life would be enough, doing away with the need to rig elections every five years or so.

Pictured on the left, at Bob's right hand, is his second wife, DisGrace [just "Grace", surely! Ed.], with whom he was having an affair as his first wife lay dying of kidney failure. He eventually made her "Mrs Mugabe", going so far as to have the wedding blessed by the toadying Archbishop of Harare. But so far he has been unable to put her into any high office, other than the purely ceremonial one of "First Lady". Even that entitles her to a diplomatic passport, it seems, which has been enough to save her from arrest for assault in both London and Johannesburg.

Still, Grace aspires to a loftier position, perhaps that of President, once her husband, going on 94, dies of lead poisoning or other causes. Her path to the presidential throne became clearer last week, when Comrade Bob unceremoniously dumped his senior Vice-President, a veteran of the "liberation wars" named Emerson Mnangagwa. (Try and say that three times, quick!) It is expected that Zimbabwe's Shopper-in-Chief will be appointed to fill the vacancy at the ruling ZANU-PF party congress in December. That would set her up to be President, in the event that -- God forbid -- anything happens to her husband.

The fly in the ointment is that the Zimbabwean National Army (ZNA) is not fond of the lovely Grace, but loyal to Comrade Mnangagwa. Yesterday, ZNA commander Constantino Chiwenga issued an unprecedented statement saying purges against senior ruling party officials linked to the 1970s liberation war should end "forthwith". "We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution," the army chief said, "the military will not hesitate to step in."

The military statement was not reported on by the state-run broadcaster. Government spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo said only the president could respond, but Comrade Bob did not comment. The state-run broadcaster did not report on the statement. But this morning, AP reports, three armoured personnel carriers full of soldiers were seen in a convoy on a road heading toward an army barracks just outside Harare, Zimbabwe's capital city.

No army spokesman was immediately available for comment today. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, the state broadcaster, was operating as usual, and the capital remained calm... waiting with bated breath, no doubt.

UPDATE ADDED 1145 14/11/17: AP reports that this evening (local time) ZANU-PF has issued a statement accusing the ZNA commander of "treasonable conduct" for his threat to have the military step in. The statement said the unprecedented comments made yesterday Gen. Constantino Chiwenga were "clearly calculated to disturb national peace and stability" and were "meant to incite insurrection." Insurrection, izzit? Zimbabweans are waiting. In fact they've been waiting for decades!

Further reading about Mugabe's Zimbabwe on WWW: "Is Zimbabwe's Comrade Bob Mugabe dead or just sleeping?", WWW 3/3/17; "Zimbabwean dictator appointed to, then removed from WHO post", WWW 22/10/17.