There is little doubt that Robert Mugabe will steal the elections. If he is down while the votes are being counted the officials will ensure that he wins because their lives may depend on that. Western news channels will heap abuse and scorn on Mugabe but what is the man to do. He has murdered thousands of opponents and engineered massacres in Matabeleland. He has systematically beaten up opponents and stolen previous elections. He has brought the economy to its knees. What was once the bread basket of southern Africa is now unable to feed its own people. He knows that if he loses power then he may end up in a prison cell and feels he is to old to clean out the jail toilet. Taking refuge in another African country may not protect him because of what has happened to Charles Taylor. He is also sure that other African leaders will protect him because they are equally corrupt and have committed heinous crimes. From Mubarak in Egypt and Omar Bashir in Sudan down to Zimbabwe every president is a dictator and is clinging on for dear life because to lose power may mean the hangman's noose. Fortunately South Africa has term limits on its president so Mbeki will step down. A cartoon in the Times of India showed Sonia Gandhi congratulating the King of Bhutan for voluntarily stepping down as monarch and bringing democracy to his country to which the King replies 'when will India give up its Monarchy and bring in democracy'. Term limits are absolutely essential so that we can get rid of these ugly old garbage and bring in some younger garbage. Maybe they will stink less.