And if they sometimes seem consumed with rage at anyone who challenges their actions, well, that's how hacks always respond when called on their hackery.
Though Mr Mugabe would try to resist such a move, Mr Annan is quietly standing by to assume the mediator's job in place of Mr Mbeki, an appointment devoutly to be wished.
Since the executives are well placed to know their bank's true condition, it might seem that their share purchases show that the danger of collapse is exaggerated.
The non-mathematical appear to have their revenge, as the perils of over-reliance on complex symbolic notation and arcane formulae are relentlessly exposed.