Zim to welcome interim president

HARARE: Thousands are expected to descend on the National Sports Stadium in Harare tomorrow to witness the inauguration of Emmerson Mnangagwa as Zimbabwe’s interim president following the resignation of Robert Mugabe on Tuesday.

Mnangagwa will be sworn in in the morning before the inauguration, expected to be attended by several heads of state and government.

Yesterday, Mnangagwa’s huge motorcade left Munhumutapa Building, the official offices of the president, at about 6pm.

He returned home from exile in South Africa to a hero’s welcome on Wednesday and delivered a speech outside Zanu-PF headquarters before being whisked away, opening a new chapter in the history of Zimbabwe.

Last night Minister of Information and Broadcasting Simon Khaya Moyo said: “We are ready for tomorrow, everything is in place. The swearing in and inauguration of Comrade Mnangagwa is definitely going ahead.”

He insisted that he be quoted as information minister, and not Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity, because this was a state function.

Moyo would not say who was coming, raising questions about whether the Southern Africa Development Community, which met in Luanda, Angola earlier in the week and expressed concern about the political situation in Harare, would snub the inauguration.

South Africa’s Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister, Siyabonga Cwele, will represent President Jacob Zuma at the inauguration. Zuma’s spokesperson, Bongani Ngqulunga, said Zuma would be hosting Angolan President João Manuel Lourenço, who is on a state visit to South Africa, tomorrow, the day of the inauguration.

Meanwhile, army tanks are still visible at strategic places in Harare, three days after Mugabe resigned and Mnangagwa returned home to take over the reins.