“NO matter how good the dancer is, once time is up, one has to leave the stage,” that is a phrase one local analyst used yesterday in comparison with the military takeover in Zimbabwe.
Centre for Foreign Relations’ (CFR) Kitojo Wetengere joined other analysts to advise African leaders to respect their constitutional term limits to avoid sudden and disgraceful quits.
Dr Wetengere said Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was himself to blame for the fate he masterminded during his leadership after amending the constitution to pave his overstay.
“President Mugabe’s removal from power should serve a reminder to all African leaders to respect their constitutions. He is yet another victim of defiant African leaders to their presidential term limits,” he said.
African leaders ought to understand that leadership is always granted to them by people through the ballot boxes as guided by their respective constitutions, he said.
“No matter how good the leader is, once their office tenure expires, they have to go...what has happened to President Mugabe is shame,” Dr Wetengere said.
The international relations expert expressed concern over an emerging trend by some politicians in the country campaigning for amendment of the country’s constitution to increase presidential and parliamentary term limits
.Former Speaker of the National Assembly Pius Mse kwa said Tanzanians should feel proud of their constitution that has put strict presidential term limit. He said after independence, Zimbabwe’s constitution had term limit, which the estranged Mugabe scrapped before he reinstated it in recent years. “Had he respected the previous constitution, he wouldn’t have met today’s political ordeal,” said Mr Msekwa.
He added: “The Zimbabwe experience is a lesson that Tanzanians should take seriously...we should never tamper with the country’s constitution, presidential terms must be respected.” Mr Msekwa said, as far as he was concerned, leadership takeover in Zimbabwe fell short of being branded a military coup d’état’.
He said the coup is where the army personnel takeover after toppling the democratically elected government. He said what has happened in Zimbabwe is more or less similar to Zanzibar’s 1964 revolutions when Zanzibaris asked the late Abeid Aman Karume to takeover after ousting the Sultanate.
“Zimbabwe Defence Forces have not taken the lead after removing President Mugabe from office.
They have instead asked the sacked Vice-President Munangagwa to takeover,” he argued. University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) lecturer Dr Bashiru Ally views Zimbabwe’s problem differently.
He argues that neither Mugabe nor his wife Grace are to be blamed for the unfolding events. He attributes Zimbabwe’s political troubles to imperialist attacks that have been directed to the southern African nation by the colonial masters and their allies.
In efforts to advance their interest, the colonial masters successfully sowed seeds of hatred among Zimbabwe politicians, creating power struggle among themselves. “People are discussing Zimbabwe’s problems superficially.
They have to dig deep to see the root cause. Today, people are talking about term limit. Let them tell us if problems in Kenya, South Sudan and in other troubled countries are caused by presidential term limits,” Dr Ally argued.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Spokesperson Mindi Kasiga said the ministry was monitoring the situation through steady communications with the Tanzania High Commission in Harare.
Zimbabwe came to new history yesterday as the military seized power, saying it was targeting “criminals” around President Mugabe whom it accused of causing social and economic sufferings. In the crackdown on criminals, Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo was reportedly arrested.
Chombo was a leading member of the so-called ‘G40’ faction of the ruling ZANU-PF party, under First Lady Grace Mugabe who was vying to succeed her 93-year old husband.
Grace was also reported to have fled into neighbouring Namibia. Nick Mangwana, a Zanu-PF representative in the UK, told the BBC he understood the First Lady was no longer in Zimbabwe.
The action triggered speculation of a coup, but the military’s supporters praised it as a “bloodless correction”.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons yesterday that Britain was monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe, which she said remained fluid with French foreign ministry urging all parties in Zimbabwe to seek a peaceful solution.
Signs of President Mugabe falling out with the army were seen end of last month when Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander, General Constantine Chiwenga indicated he was not prepared to step down as President Robert Mugabe contemplated the appointment of new security chiefs.
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