Could the World Cup hasten Mugabe’s exit?

With less than four months remaining before the 2010 World Cup gets underway, South Africa’s neighbours are finalising their preparations to ensure they are part and parcel of the biggest event of any kind to occur on the continent.

Sadly, Zimbabwe has, for the most part, been excluded from the party thanks to years of catastrophic misrule. However, there are still signs of hope and the World Cup may well prove to be a turning point in the long-running stalemate. Robert Mugabe’s grip on power was pried open a year ago when he was forced into a unity government.

It was an extraordinary development, but Mugabe appears to have blown his last chance to exit with some form of dignity. Rather, he has fuelled the deep-seated mistrust that is preventing the country from recovering from decades of economic turmoil. The European Union has now announced that sanctions against Zimbabwe, including an arms embargo, are to continue for another year.

The influential Christian Science Monitor this week pointed out that South Africa remains the outsider with the most leverage in Zimbabwe “under the new and more forceful leadership of Jacob Zuma”. And the influential newspaper said the 2010 World Cup adds to its responsibilities as the regional powerhouse.

With the tournament looming fast, the last thing it wants is another refugee exodus from next door, “which is likely if the unity government collapses”. “It should step up the pressure on Mugabe to bridge the political gap in Zimbabwe, and help the country further down the road toward a successful democracy,” it added.

Certainly, the 2010 World Cup places South Africa — and its neighbours — under the full glare of the international spotlight. And while most states in the region have become models of stability (and democracy) Zimbabwe remains an embarrassing failure.

Let’s hope the World Cup will provide the catalyst for a return to normality and the long-overdue departure of Mugabe who has lost the support of his own people and the rest of the region.