In the face of expulsion from the ZANU-PF and an impending impeachment vote, Mugabe is still refusing to relinquish power.

Democracy is decidedly worse for wear in Africa following a set of sham elections in Zimbabwe and Gabon, with few bright spots in the upcoming electoral calendar.  

In the run-up to last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, hope was palpable in Harare. Civil society activists, journalists, and business leaders marveled at how political space had opened up in the wake of the coup that ousted longtime President Robert Mugabe. It was as if an entire country had opened up the windows to let in fresh air. However, these victories for Zimbabwe are ringing hollow because they occur against an alarming backdrop of state-sponsored violence and intimidation.

The Zimbabwe coupmakers are placing all the blame on Robert Mugabe's wife. Grace, however, was known for her shopping, not her politics, and her husband likely used her to try to hold on to power.

The military seems to be firmly in control of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harrare, after what appears to have been a military coup. President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, remain safe at home.

During his thirty-seven years in power in Zimbabwe, he committed virtually every human rights violation there is. His hands were awash in the blood of Zimbabweans. Fanning and exploiting racial and class differences, he destroyed the country’s economy, once on the cusp of being one of Africa’s most developed, driving out commercial white farmers. By the time he died, Zimbabwe was an international pariah, an economic basket case, and many or most of the country’s most educated and productive citizens had left the country.