Part 7/9:
While Mugabe previously professed unity and reconciliation, closed-door strategies revealed a ruthless ambition to eliminate political rivals. The forced merger of ZANU and ZAPU into a single party by 1987 effectively dismantled any remaining political dissent. Yet, reports of the atrocities committed during this period were dismissed by Mugabe, who claimed a lack of responsibility for the violence, suggesting it was the consequence of actions by junior officers.