He has staked his pride on the issue, and he will want to handle that in a manner in which he thinks he is not losing political face. |
He is saying what everybody has been saying but the real crux is whether he will get rid of non-performers. But it's unlikely because Mugabe runs an elaborate patronage system that continues to reward non-performers. He needs people who can stand up to him and with the resolve to push real political and economic reforms. |
I think Mugabe only feels secure when he is pursuing his opponents, and his strategy is not to give them any breathing space to organize against him. |
Mugabe has built his power base on the politics of patronage ... and all those things are part of the support base. |
The are probably keeping their plans close to their chest maybe because they are borrowing from the military strategy of a surprise attack. |
The import of his statement is that beneath the veneer of a brave face, there is underlying fear of political unrest. |
There is a deep sense of pessimism and anger that may burst into the open and become violent without being backed by any political force. |
Whichever faction prevails, I think it is a lose-lose situation and it makes the future bleaker for those that want to see a new political dispensation in Zimbabwe. |