The state-oriented media celebrated the failure of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)-organised mid-day protests on Wednesday 13 September 2006 describing it as a "damp squib". More sympathetic media were more restrained in their reactions. The alleged reasons for the "damp squib" varied widely and wildly. This is neither the first nor the last time such "damp squibs" will be witnessed in crisis-riddled Zimbabwe.Why did Zimbabwean workers, in their admittedly dwindling thousands, not heed the call to participate actively in the protest action in the various 34 urban centres? Fear of the coercive instruments of the state? Maybe.
If anything, the last ten years have demonstrated that the governing elite in Zimbabwe is a risk-taking elite. Some may even say it's a reckless elite. Whatever characterisation one uses, the reality is that President Robert Mugabe and who ever advises him, are willing and prepared to take bold decisions irrespective of the consequences.