What Morgan Tsvangirai probably really means when he says that Robert Mugabe is “part of the solution” to Zimbabwe’s problems:
Robert Mugabe is part of the solution inasmuch as his very presence represents the very real possibility that he could at any point decide to destabilize the country by calling on the so-called “war veterans” to do their worst, and he almost certainly could also foment trouble by enlisting his loyalists in the military, police, and security forces. In other words, Tsvangirai is saying, I need to keep Mugabe as close as possible and to give him a sense that we still need him. Because as soon as he starts to feel irrelevant, he will make himself relevant again in his inimitable way.
After all, note the full context of Tsvangirai’s quotation: “Don’t be too paranoid about your obsession with Robert Mugabe because he isn’t going to go away; he is there. Robert Mugabe was part of the problem but he is also part of the solution, whether you like it or not.” Whatever Tsvangirai might be doing, do not be fooled into thinking that Mugabe has somehow gotten to him. Tsvangirai is no shrinking violet, and he is not, after all of his struggles, about to yield to Mugabe now.