How long will the Zimbabwe breakthrough last?

The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki has facilitated one of the most remarkable deal in the modern era- an agreement by the two rival leaders of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe of Zanu-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC to work together in the running of the country.

However, the deal came as no reason for celebration for the citizens of this economically devastated state. People still go on with their daily struggling lives.

The hyper-inflation rates in Zimbabwe continues to grow, however, the country is breathing a sigh of relief with the announcement of removing the trailing zero’s from the denominations. It means that there are no trillionaires in Zimbabwe, as least now.

Whilst Mr Tsvangirai, in his capacity as Prime Minister, will handle the everyday affairs of the country and a council of Minister, Robert Mugabe will still retain the core powers of the state, such as controlling the armed forces.

How the two opposing politicians will work together still needs an explanation and there is a uncertainty that political upheaval could result from the formation of two “parallel governments”.

Nevertheless, whoever retains the absolute authority, they have the undeniable task of reviving the devastated economic state of the country. The power sharing agreement may once again open up the involvement of Zimbabwe in international affairs and bring about aid and donors who were keenly expecting a breakthrough of this magnitude.

But the serious question remains? When will Zimbabwe be accepted with open arms into international involvement, such as the Commonwealth. Many are still unsure of the validity of this fragile agreement. A single difference in opinion could trigger another political upheaval and push Zimbabwe back into the chaos and anarchy that has been stereotypical of this nation for almost a decade. What do you think?