Zimbabwe's New Beginning?

As I watch on tv and read online that Morgan Tsvangirai has been named the new Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, I can't help but to mentally survey through the many African leaders who have come to power riding a wave of new found hope and optimism, only to remain equally corrupt, or even worse, far more brutal than the previous leader.

To be clear, this is not a drastic change. Tsvangirai has been named the PM in a power sharing agreement.


But still, this is quite something. Mugabe has finally, at least outwardly, relinquished his deathly strangehold on what used to be a country full of immense potential.

I lived in Zimbabwe from about 1987-1989. I don't remember much, being a little kid, but I have seen many photos and heard many stories from my parents. The tranquil beauty of the countryside and warmth of the people were just some of the memories they had.

Mugabe was the first African leader of Zimbabwe, elected PM of the first non-colonial government since they gained their independence from Britain in 1980 after a lengthy civil war/revolution.

My father told me that there was alot of optimism about him back then. He, an Oxford graduate, was a war hero who arrived on the scene pledging a social agenda and for the first 5 years of his reign, for the most part, he kept it.

Historians will put more together in time, but for now, it appears that the lure of power was too much for Mugabe. In 1987, he abolished the position of Prime Minister and assumed the new office of executive President, essentially putting himself in charge of the entire government. He was "re-elected" in 1990 and 1996, and in 2002 amid claims of widespread vote-rigging and intimidation.

The rest, most of us know. In 1998, he redistributed all the white owned farms in the country, and incited acts of violence against white farmers. Since then, Zimbabwe has been in rapid and tragic decline as they have completely alienated themselves from the rest of the international system.

Currently, five million people (almost half the population) are starving, there is massive hyperinflation, 90% unemployment, and, more recently, about 3,400 people have died in cholera outbreak.

But things may slowly turn for the better in Tsvangirai can effectively re-open Zimbabwe's international ties. That, in the short term may be the most he can do as reversing Mugabes disastrous policies, particularly that of the farming redistribution will likely not be possibly.

Addressing a rally at a stadium in Harare, Mr Tsvangirai said the government had to "get the country working again".

"The first priority is to stabilise the economy," he said. "The economic collapse has forced millions of our most able to flee the country. This must end today."

Calling for an end to political violence, he said Zimbabwe could "no longer afford brother against brother, because one happened to have a different political opinion".

He said the government would make food "available and affordable", and promised to focus on the cholera crisis that has killed more than 3,400 people.

Mugabe, surprisingly has said that he will "fully cooperate with Tsvangirai in the best interest of the Zimbabwean country".

I am sceptically optimistic. I think about the faded images I have burned in my memory from looking at photos from that period. Mai Sheila, the very first nanny I ever had, with full cheeks, a warm smile and bright dark eyes. I used to walk to get water and milk with her every day.

For Mai Sheila, wherever she is, and countless others like her, I hope this change points to a brighter future.