Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC's decision today to pull out of the presidential election is incredibly sensible. The election was clearly going to be rigged to high heaven and he could not possibly have won. All he could have done was allow the evil, bloodsoaked Mugabe to claim an illegitimate victory - sufficient to be accepted by the rest of Africa. This way, Mugabe will have no recognisable mandate. This is a first - previously Mugabe has always been able to claim some form of legitimacy or snuggle up to his opponents in order to strangle them (like Nkomo).
Yet where now? It's clear that South Africa is still supine under the failing leadership of Mbeki. They suggest a powersharing. After Nkomo's fate, that is obviously a joke. In the next year it is likely South Africa will get stronger leadership (on this issue at least) from Zuma, assuming Mbeki does not manage to put Zuma away later this Summer. Mugabe will certainly be weakened in Africa and be an embarrassment to them all. Yet he will probably remain in power until South Africa has a leader able to lead.
