November marks the 2nd anniversary of the fall of Zimbabwe’s dictator Robert Mugabe who was deposed from power by his military ending his 37-year reign from power since the country attained its independence from colonial rule. In a Hollywood style of events that left the whole world amused and confused whether to call it a coup or not coup, something that puzzled military scholars for some time. As we reflect on the 2 years after Mnangagwa’s taking over we remain worried that

Two years ago Zimbabwe’s National Army carried out a putsch that removed President Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Once the coup was carried out Zimbabwe’s parliament began a process of ‘impeaching’ a President who was already under ‘house arrest’. The global spin on that putsch was that this was a ‘military assisted transition’ and there was a global silence to accept this narrative because a lot of people, especially Zimbabweans, were just desperate because of the collapsing economy

ZIMBABWE’S two main political parties have gone through both succession and transition since the coup in November 2017. The disputed election held on July 30 2018 did not suffice — despite the best of attempts at placating a cynical international community. If anything, the immediate post-election violence fuelled a deeper cynicism. It is fair to surmise that the political elite, across the political divide, has failed to realise, embrace and react decisively to the national

The new cannot be born if the old is refusing to die. In November 2017 Zimbabwe went through what was supposed to be the birth of a second republic, a republic that repudiated the ways of the first republic born on April 18, 1980. However, the second republic with each passing days and waning of the coup euphoria is turning into a mirage or better still a false dawn. Understanding the bad and what needs to be done in Zimbabwe now can only be fully appreciated by interrogating

Africa and the world at large have been inundated with governments of coup d’état of varying degree and magnitude since the 18th century. In Africa alone since 1956 to 2001, there were 80 successful coups, 108 failed attempts and 139 reported coup attempts according to McGowan as cited by Tendi (2019). Further to that, from 2001 to 2019, almost 12 successful coups took place in West and Central Africa at most. However, post-independent Africa has recorded a highest number of