There is only one reason that the country of Zimbabwe is becoming poorer. The government is incompetent. While it is true that the post-colonial order in what was once Rhodesia did the people not favors, the inabilty of the majority-rule regime is exceeded only by its crooked hold on power. The man responsible is Robert Mugabe, who has run his nation ever downward since 1979.
The latest election in Zimbabwe was ultra-Floridian in its fraud, as Mr. Mugabe stole power from the rightfully elected Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change. Mr. Tsvangirai has led a week of general strike-like activity in an effort to bring down the government, and for his trouble, has been arrested for treason.
The ruling ZANU-PF party is running a rather typical and inefficient one-party state, full of cronyism, bad laws, and poor management. However, the MDC's inability to do more than strike suggests that there is not a chance that the change of government aimed for will have any effect if successful.
There is one bright spot in all of this -- Mr. Mugabe is getting on in years, and there will be a need to find a successor thanks to natural causes. However, while this goes on, one of Africa's potential forces for progress is slipping in the mud.