'Treacherous Shenanigans' — The Inside Story Of Mugabe's Downfall

Robert Mugabe was one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. At age 93, most people thought that only his eventual death would free Zimbabwe from his decades of mismanagement and corruption. And even then, his wife Grace Mugabe once famously said his corpse could stand election — and win.

So then how did this authoritarian regime that had withstood sanctions and hyperinflation fall apart so quickly? What was behind the massive changes within the country over the last two weeks?

While there obviously was still support for Mugabe, a legacy of his struggle against the racist Rhodesian government, he appears to have made a key mistake. And like many mistakes throughout history, this one seems to have been tied to love. Rather than grooming someone from within his party (ZANU-PF) to be his successor, he appears to have instead chosen his wife, Grace. 40 years younger than him, Grace did not have the same ties to the liberation struggle as many of Mugabe's peers, and as such, held little respect from the rest of party.

MacDonald Dzirutwe, Joe Brock, and Ed Cropley's special report for Reuters contains perhaps the best outline so far of the extraordinary developments that transpired this month. The promotion of Grace Mugabe to become successor triggered a serious of events that eventually lead to the downfall of Robert Mugabe. Fractures long hidden opened up within ZANU-PF, and Mugabe soon found his military in revolt. As he attempted to crack down, key figures escaped to China, where they regrouped and organised a military coup again the government. Resembling in many ways a spy novel, this series of events is a thrilling read and contains critical knowledge about how a future Zimbabwe might play out.