We may despise Khama for all we care, but without him the future is all the grimmer

It’s frightfully difficult to imagine Zimbabwe without Robert Mugabe.
For all the atrocities he has meted on the people of that country, in a sadistic way, he also has been able to keep Zimbabwe a heartbeat away from descending into outright calamity.
Without Mugabe the ruling party in that country will fall apart, descending into a state of chaos as the sharks that straddle his dynasty fight among themselves.
With Mugabe out of the picture the same sharks, who by the way have no respect for anybody else but the patriarch, will enroll into a cut and run mode, with every Jack and Jill looking at themselves in the mirror and seeing Mugabe’s blood successor in the mold.
Without Mugabe, a civil war is a real possibility in Zimbabwe. And now approaching 90 (officially) that is what should get us more worried than rigged elections he has afterall been stealing since time immemorial.
As things stand, he is the only soul that makes sure that a house that has been rickety for decades now does not collapse altogether.
Even as the two men are openly contemptuous of one another, there are several striking similarities between Ian Khama and Robert Mugabe which we cannot ignore.
Albeit to varying degrees, either man has entrenched themselves into the psyches of the creaking parties they lead such that they now are viewed as indispensable.
Both are showmen whose modus operandi is often to invoke official opposition and the media as unpatriotic puppets and bogeymen if only to further solidify their bases and send the message home that only them can keep the enemies at the door.
For these reasons, to their followers, they both inspire almost cultic devotion that can only be described as religious in its fervour.
It is very interesting to witness how the succession debate inside the BDP is being micromanaged.
In strict terms, it really does not matter who becomes the Vice President after elections next year.
That person, if they ultimately become State President will have to contend with the sprawling shadow left behind by a strong-willed personality and popularity of President Khama.
Call me possessed, if you wish, but as we often say, this country will never have another Ian Khama.
It may sound absurd, but it’s true; he is the only politician who on account of his steam and personal appeal can literally get away with anything. And this is not an exaggeration.
More than any other politician around, he inspires a wild mix of fear, respect, loyalty and in worse cases fanaticism.
This means that long after he has left the scene, he will still continue wield a lot of power and influence which if not properly managed can even undermine the public stature of the successor. It happened in Namibia when Sam Nujoma was forced into retirement.
Becoming irrelevant is one thing that scares the hell out of our president, and watching what he has done to his two immediate past predecessors must feel him with even greater impetus to everything to retain some influence even after leaving the state house.
Personally I doubt if President Khama has made up his mind on who he wants as a successor.
There are a number of issues and indeed individuals he has to consult; if not out of necessity then out of courtesy.
The president’s inner circle, it cannot be emphasised enough is currently on fire.
Relations have so badly collapsed that some key figures of the entourage have literally stopped talking to one another.
You know the situation is bad enough when word starts to fly around that people who only a few years past were bosom buddies could actually now be spying on one another.
A suspicion that he may be setting members of his inner circle against one another is also far-fetched.
The situation is not made any better by the quality of those which the BDP aligned media tells us are serious contenders for the throne. And at the moment, unless there are new comers, we only have a sea of minnows in parliament.
Even the crudest of cynics would never have thought standards would plummet so low as to what is now being force-fed us as a wish list of potential Vice President.
What is happening inside the ruling party and government is heartbreaking.
As we celebrate Independence Holidays we should pause, look back and marvel at how much better it all could have been.
But still we must remember that without Khama, it may yet turn out to be worse.
God save our country! Enjoy, do not indulge.