A renowned academic says Zimbabwe will face a leadership crisis if President Robert Mugabe is incapacitated.
Professor Shadreck Guto of the University of South Africa says his incapacitation will affect the security sector, judiciary and other institutions which have been under his firm control since independence.
Professor Guto said, “There will be really a serious crisis in Zimbabwe in terms of leadership including security services which he has controlled and used and from that point of view I don’t think it is something that we can say will not happen.
‘It’s not only the security services but the judiciary, parliament … it’s everything else will have a serious crisis because he has prevented proper governance of all those institutions.”
Professor Guto further said he really wishes that there won’t be any civil unrest in the country when the president is unable to perform his duties or something else happens to him.
“I hope there won’t be violent conflict in the country but it’s likely that it might happen because he has caused those conditions for that to happen. He has prevented any proper leadership succession plan. He has made Zimbabwe more or less his fiefdom.”
Ninety-one year old President Mugabe has been in power since independence from British rule in 1980.
Zimbabwe's constitution stipulates that an acting president will take over from the president if he is incapacitated for 90 days and his party is thereafter expected to choose a leader to fill his position until the next elections.
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Interview with Political Analyst Shadreck Guto on President Mugabe's Health