The army helped Emerson Mnangagwa grab power in Zimbabwe back in 2017. He kicked out his old boss, Robert Mugabe, and kept control through two shaky elections with help from the armed forces. These days, he fears someone might do the same to him. He recently fired his spy chief, police boss, and army commander to protect himself from any takeover. His second-in-command, Constantino Chiwenga, wants the top job badly.
Earlier this year, people suggested changing laws to let Mnangagwa stay longer than allowed. Chiwenga hated that idea. Former freedom fighters and political big shots have turned against the president and called for street protests on March 31. These people can easily find unhappy citizens - about two-thirds of Zimbabweans think their country heads the wrong way. World Bank numbers show that more people fall into poverty every year.
Nobody should expect Chiwenga and his friends to improve life if they take over. They have beaten down anyone who speaks against them before. They would likely run things just like past leaders did—keeping money-making chances for themselves and their buddies. Everyone else would struggle to survive and stay quiet out of fear. When Mugabe fell years ago, rival groups inside the ruling party fought over who would replace him.
If tanks roll through the streets again, Zimbabweans probably won't cheer like they did in 2017. Not because they love their current leader, but because they've seen this movie already. Dirty politics has crushed real opposition groups. No fresh leadership waits around the corner. Military and party bosses have controlled everything for decades. Any new coup just means different names on office doors - nothing more.
Earlier this year, people suggested changing laws to let Mnangagwa stay longer than allowed. Chiwenga hated that idea. Former freedom fighters and political big shots have turned against the president and called for street protests on March 31. These people can easily find unhappy citizens - about two-thirds of Zimbabweans think their country heads the wrong way. World Bank numbers show that more people fall into poverty every year.
Nobody should expect Chiwenga and his friends to improve life if they take over. They have beaten down anyone who speaks against them before. They would likely run things just like past leaders did—keeping money-making chances for themselves and their buddies. Everyone else would struggle to survive and stay quiet out of fear. When Mugabe fell years ago, rival groups inside the ruling party fought over who would replace him.
If tanks roll through the streets again, Zimbabweans probably won't cheer like they did in 2017. Not because they love their current leader, but because they've seen this movie already. Dirty politics has crushed real opposition groups. No fresh leadership waits around the corner. Military and party bosses have controlled everything for decades. Any new coup just means different names on office doors - nothing more.
