‘The Crocodile’ returns to unite Zimbabwe and fix its economy
THE former vice-president of Zimbabwe who rode to power on the back of the soft military coup that ousted Robert Mugabe has pledged to rebuild the country’s economy.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, who fled Zimbabwe two weeks ago amid a bitter power struggle inside the country’s ruling party, landed at Harare’s Manyame Air Base yesterday afternoon 24 hours after Mr Mugabe was forced to step down.
“I appeal to all genuine people of Zimbabwe to come together,” Mr Mnangagwa told supporters at the Harare headquarters of Zanu-pf. “We are all Zimbabweans...we need peace in our country and jobs, jobs, jobs.
“He is now the former president of Zimbabwe,” he said of Mr Mugabe, to loud cheers.
Mr Mnangagwa praised the military, the speaker of parliament, and other party leaders for their support and said he had been in “constant contact” with the generals throughout the coup that resulted in Mr Mugabe resigning.
The 75-year-old Zanu-pf grandee – nicknamed “the Crocodile” – fled to Mozambique and then South Africa after Mr Mugabe fired him as vice-president on Nov 6. The move prompted Mr Mnangagwa’s army allies to mount a coup to force Mr Mugabe to step down and arrested allies of his wife, Grace Mugabe, who was making her own grab for power. Mr Mugabe resigned on Tuesday afternoon as Zimbabwe’s parliament prepared to launch impeachment proceedings against him.
Mr Mnangagwa was elected head of Zanu-pf on Saturday and will be swornin tomorrow as the party’s choice to complete Mr Mugabe’s term as president.
Lovemore Matuke, the party’s chief whip, said the inauguration would take place in Harare’s 60,000 seat National Sports Stadium tomorrow morning.
However, he will face intense pressure from the public and the international community to fix Zimbabwe’s dysfunctional economy and to do away with the excesses of Mr Mugabe’s rule.
The Movement for Democratic Change, Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, has called for assurances that next year’s presidential elections will be free and fair amid fears that Mr Mnangagwa will retain the mechanism of authoritarian control that he had helped Mr Mugabe build.