The inevitable end of Robert Mugabe's iron-fisted rule of Zimbabwe may take longer than his opponents hoped but it is, no doubt, on its way. After humiliating himself before the entire world and even those African states who supported him out of respect for his anti-colonial legacy by blatantly stealing elections just a few months ago, he has now seen the role of Zimbabwe's parliament speaker, a member of the main opposition party, Lovemore Moyo from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Moyo won by a vote of 110 to 100, a significant majority in a country Mugabe has ruled for 28 years. It is the first time since independence 1960 that the opposition party has held such a powerful position. Mugabe is supposed to be engaged in power-sharing talks with Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC, after international and regional insistence on the travesty of the two elections held in May and June this year. MDC representatives say the talks have stalled because Mugabe is being obstinate about giving up the executive power he has held for 28 years. This Shakespearean drama will most likely be played out within the borders of Zimbabwe as there is a little that external powers can do to force Mugabe to relinquish power. He has already destroyed the economy of a once prosperous and well-educated nation, and turned it into one of the poorest, hungriest and most poorly educated countries in the world. The only leverage the international community has is the power to freeze the external accounts of Zimbabwe's generals and political heavies who have used the Mugabe regime to enrich themselves to the detriment of the Zimbabwean masses. No other economic pressure can be brought on the destitute state. We don't know how many more will die before Mugabe has mercy on his people and vacates his corrupt government. Because once he is gone, an inevitability, there will be the layers of profitable corruption to be dismantled before Zimbabwe finally gets justice. __
