ROBERT MUGABE
• MUGABE AND HIS WIFE UNDER ARMY CUSTODY • FINANCE MINISTER DETAINED • ARMY VIEWS SACKING OF VICE-PRESIDENT AS PART OF PURGE • ZIMBABWE STRUGGLING WITH CASH CRUNCH, IMPORT PAYMENTS
1924: Born Trained as a teacher
1964: Imprisoned for 10 years by Rhodesian govt
1980: Wins postindependence elections
1996: Marries Grace Marufu
2000: Loses referendum on presidential powers and White-owned land
2008: Comes second in first round of elections to Tsvangirai who pulls out of run-off
2009: Amid economic collapse, swears in Tsvangirai as prime minister
2016: Bond notes introduced as cash shortage worsens
2017: Sacks long-time ally, Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Zimbabwe’s army said on Wednesday it has President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody and was securing government offices and patrolling the capital’s streets following a night of unrest that included a military takeover of the state broadcaster.
Soldiers and armoured vehicles blocked roads to the main government offices, parliament and the courts in central Harare, while taxis ferried commuters to work nearby, a witness said.
Mugabe, the self-styled ‘Grand Old Man’ of African politics, has led Zimbabwe for the last 37 years. In contrast to his elevated status on the continent, the 93-year-old leader is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa’s most promising states.
“We are only targeting criminals around him (Mugabe) who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice,” Major General SB Moyo, chief of staff logistics, said on television. “As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.”
Neither Mugabe nor his wife Grace, who has been vying to succeed her husband as president, have been seen. However, they appeared to be in the custody of the military. “Their security is guaranteed,” Moyo said.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change called for a peaceful return to constitutional democracy, adding it hoped the military intervention would lead to the “establishment of a stable, democratic and progressive nation state”.
South African President Jacob Zuma — speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) — expressed hope there would be no unconstitutional changes of government in Zimbabwe as that would be contrary to both SADC and African Union positions. Zuma urged Zimbabwe’s government and the military “to resolve the political impasse amicably”.
Economic decline
Zimbabwe’s economic decline over the past two decades has been a drag on the southern African region and millions of economic refugees have streamed out of the country, mostly to neighbouring South Africa.
The International Monetary Fund and other Western donors have suspended aid to Zimbabwe since 1999 over Mugabe’s policies that are blamed for the economic meltdown.
The leader of Zimbabwe’s influential liberation war veterans called for South Africa, southern Africa and the West to re-engage Zimbabwe.
“This is a correction of a state that was careening off the cliff,” Chris Mutsvangwa said. “It’s the end of a very painful and sad chapter in the history of a young nation, in which a dictator, as he became old, surrendered his court to a gang of thieves around his wife.”
Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo, a leading member of the ‘G40’ faction, led by Grace Mugabe, of the ruling Zanu-PF party had been detained by the military, a government source said.
Soldiers deployed across Harare on Tuesday and seized the state broadcaster after Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party accused the head of the military of treason, prompting speculation of a coup. Just 24 hours after military chief General Constantino Chiwenga threatened to intervene to end a purge of his allies in Zanu-PF, a witness saw armoured personnel carriers on main roads around the capital.
Aggressive soldiers told passing cars to keep moving through the darkness. “Don’t try anything funny. Just go,” one barked at a Reuters reporter on Harare Drive.
Two hours later, soldiers overran the headquarters of the ZBC, the state broadcaster, a Mugabe mouthpiece, and ordered staff to leave. Several ZBC workers were manhandled, two members of staff and a human rights activist said.
Shortly afterwards, three explosions rocked the centre of the capital, witnesses said.
The US and Britain advised their citizens in Harare to stay indoors because of “political uncertainty”.
The southern African nation had been on edge since Monday when Chiwenga, Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said he was prepared to “step in” to end a purge of supporters of sacked vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Only a few months ago, Mnangagwa, a former security chief nicknamed ‘The Crocodile’, was favourite to succeed his life-long political patron but was ousted a week ago to pave the way for Mugabe’s 52-year-old wife Grace to succeed him.
‘Politics over the gun’
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Chiwenga’s visit to China last week was a “normal military exchange”, after Zimbabwe’s military said it had seized power.
Chiwenga’s unprecedented statement represented a major escalation of the struggle to succeed Mugabe, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since it gained independence from Britain in 1980.
Mugabe chaired a weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, officials said, and afterwards Zanu-PF said it stood by the “primacy of politics over the gun” and accused Chiwenga of “treasonable conduct ... meant to incite insurrection”. — Reuters, AP
We wish to make it abundantly clear that this is not a military takeover.”
We are only targeting criminals around (Mugabe) who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice.” Major-General Sibusiso Moyo, chief of staff logistics
As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.”
As a country that is friendly with Zimbabwe, we are paying close attention to developments of the situation in Zimbabwe.” Geng Shuang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Defending the revolution and our leader and president is an ideal we live for and if need be it is a principle we are prepared to die for.” Kudzai Chipanga, Youth League leader