WITH MUGABE GONE, ZIMBABWE’S NEW LEADER RETURNS HOME
▶ Former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in as president tomorrow
Zimbabwe’s former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was to return home yesterday to take power after Robert Mugabe’s resignation brought an end to 37 years of authoritarian rule.
Before his arrival, parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda confirmed Mr Mnangagwa would be sworn in as president tomorrow.
Mr Mugabe’s iron grip ended in a shock announcement to parliament, where members had convened to impeach the man who dominated every aspect of Zimbabwean public life for decades.
On the streets, the news that his long and often brutal leadership was over sparked wild celebrations that lasted late into the night, with crowds dancing and cheering.
“My decision to resign is voluntary,” Mr Mugabe, 93, wrote in his resignation letter, expressing his “desire to ensure a smooth, peaceful and non-violent transfer of power”.
A portrait of Mr Mugabe was taken from a wall inside the building where parliamentarians had assembled for the extraordinary session to impeach the defiant president.
It was replaced with an image of the ousted vice president, Mr Mnangagwa, 75, who was sacked by Mr Mugabe on November 6 in a move that pushed infuriated army chiefs to intervene.
A former key ally of Mr Mugabe, Mr Mnangagwa fled the country after his dismissal, saying he would not return without guarantees for his safety.
His sacking was the result of an increasingly bitter succession battle with Mr Mugabe’s wife Grace, who had been pushing to take over from him.
Senior military commanders and official cars were waiting yesterday at Manyame airbase in Harare, where Mr Mnangagwa was expected to land.
Mr Mugabe’s resignation capped a week in which the military seized control and tens of thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets in an unprecedented show of dissent.
“We want our new president to make sure power-hungry gangs don’t infiltrate,” said Talent Chamunorwa, 37, a brick seller.
“We hope to be able to access our money from the bank come December, and the US dollar must come back.”
He was referring to Zimbabwe’s chronic shortage of cash and a mistrusted “bond note” scheme intended to be pegged to the greenback, but which trades at a lower rate.
Mr Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe almost unopposed since independence in 1980 but trying to position his wife, 52, as his successor were his undoing.
His grip was shattered last week when armoured military vehicles took to the streets, blockaded parliament and soldiers placed him under house arrest.
The fate of Mr Mugabe, who was the world’s oldest serving head of state, and that of his wife remain unknown, but his Zanu-PF party has said he deserves to be treated with respect after leading the country for nearly four decades.
“He deserves to rest and I believe every Zimbabwean agrees with this,” party spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo said. “But I think he overstayed the hospitality of the people of Zimbabwe.”
Last week’s military takeover had all the hallmarks of a coup but the generals stopped short of forcing Mr Mugabe out.
As the crisis grew, Zanu-PF removed him as party leader and began parliamentary proceedings to have him impeached.
“When he saw the turnout [of members of parliament], he probably realised he’d better jump before he was pushed,” said Derek Matyszak, an analyst at Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. Mr Mugabe’s resignation was hailed by the international community as a chance to reshape Zimbabwe’s future.
British prime minister Theresa May saying it offered “an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression” that characterised his rule.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said it offered Zimbabwe “an extraordinary opportunity to set itself on a new path”.
And Beijing, which became a major political and economic partner of Harare, said it respected his decision, describing Mr Mugabe as a “good friend of the Chinese people”.
Beijing, which has become a major political and economic partner to Harare, said it respected Mr Mugabe’s decision