National Unity government in Zimbabwe: A good beginning so far, but is it doomed to return to square one?

Zimbabweans, Africans, and many others committed to free elections and rule of law breathed a sigh of relief when the government of President Mugabe and the opposition MDC finally agreed to form a unity government last week.

But however optimistic the unity government looks, the Mugabe regime is continuing to reveal its true colors. Everyone had hoped against all hope that the regime would compromise and accept the people’s verdict by transferring power (the ideal and best solution) and/or sharing power with the opposition (the next best choice). Opening its doors to accept the opposition would provide a just and long lasting solution to a country which was once upon a time the ‘bread basket’ of Africa.

To the contrary, once again, this is becoming difficult if not impossible. Already the Mugabe regime has continued to harass and even jail members of the opposition, a case in point is Mr. Roy Bennet, who was an MDC minister nominated to serve in the newly formed cabinet. He was accused at first of treason and now is charged with weapons possession. The military has begun patrolling the streets in Mutare, as is indicated in this article and in this one. Is this déjà vu; are we back to square one? Only time will tell…

Image: Roy Bennett (right) was named as deputy agriculture minister but arrested shortly before the new Zimbabwe cabinet was sworn in Photo: EPA.