Zimbabwe continues to suffer the repercussions of a 60-year-old war, but amid the bitterness there is room for optimism.

The Hon David Coltart is a human rights lawyer and former Zimbabwe Minister for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture. He says the apparent madness of the policies implemented by the Mugabe government over the last 17 years can only be understood as a symptom of the hatred that remains after the war that split the country in the wake of colonial rule.

In an interview at the AIIA National Office, he told Australian Outlook Editor Karan Dhamija that the country has all the ingredients for a bright future, including abundant natural resources, if it can achieve a functioning democracy.

The Hon David Coltart is a human rights lawyer and former Zimbabwe Minister for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture. He is the author of ‘The Struggle Continues: 50 Years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe’ (2016).

Interview by Karan Dhamija.

Filmed by Simon Harrison.

Edited by Yidan Qu.