He has staked his pride on the issue, and he will want to handle that in a manner in which he thinks he is not losing political face.

He is saying what everybody has been saying but the real crux is whether he will get rid of non-performers. But it's unlikely because Mugabe runs an elaborate patronage system that continues to reward non-performers. He needs people who can stand up to him and with the resolve to push real political and economic reforms.

There is a deep sense of pessimism and anger that may burst into the open and become violent without being backed by any political force.

The are probably keeping their plans close to their chest maybe because they are borrowing from the military strategy of a surprise attack.

Whichever faction prevails, I think it is a lose-lose situation and it makes the future bleaker for those that want to see a new political dispensation in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe has built his power base on the politics of patronage ... and all those things are part of the support base.