Welcome to Cato Daily Podcast for Thursday, March 15th. This is your host Anastasia Yuglova.

The images of the savagely beaten Morgan Songeri, the leader of the opposition to Robert Mugabe's

regime in Zimbabwe, have caused an international media storm.

Having formed the movement for Democratic change or MDC in 1999,

Sangirae has been adamant and ubiquitous in the opposition struggle against Mugabe.

Kata policy analyst Marian Tupi offers his comments today.

What does the savage treatment of Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Svangeri while in police custody

say about Robert Mugabe's regime?

Well, I think it shows, or rather it reminds the world on the true face of the Zimbabwean regime. The regime has been responsible for

great human rights abuses in Zimbabwe as well as economic meltdown in the country.

And the recent breaking up of the opposition rally and beating up of the leader of the opposition,

whilst in police custody suggests that the level of violence has really not diminished.

Why did Zimbabwean officials go to such lengths to break up the opposition rally?

There now seems to be a growing consensus that Mugabe, despite this external expression of force and power, seems to be losing his grip on government. There are two factions within

his own party, Zano Biev, that he was previously able to play against one another.

One group belongs to Joyce Mujuro, who is the Vice President of

Zimbabwe, and the other one is dominated by a government minister

Nangagwa. Before this year Mugabe tended to be able to play these against

each other but now there seems to be a growing

consensus that the two groups have united against him that the ZANU-PF which is

the dominant party in Zimbabwe has come to a realization that Mugabe staying in power is really against

interest of the party as well as the interest of the country as a whole.

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