The Daily Telegraph

Mugabes are suddenly friends with president they opposed

- By Peta Thornycrof­t

ROBERT MUGABE has forgiven Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man who threw him out of power last year, saying he is the right man to rule Zimbabwe.

Mr Mugabe, 94, said: “There was an election. Zanu-pf was represente­d by Emmerson Mnangagwa and the person who won was Mr Mnangagwa.

“We have accepted the result and we hope that we will continue respecting the will of the people. The gun does not and should not lead politics.”

He added he was grateful Mr Mnangagwa, 75, had hired a luxury aircraft to fly his wife Grace from Singapore to Harare for the funeral of her mother, Idah Marufu, who died last week.

His remarks were markedly different to those he made just six weeks ago, on the eve of the first election since he was ousted, when Mr Mugabe said he would vote for the opposition candidate and that he had not trusted Mr Mnangagwa since they began their political relationsh­ip 50 years ago.

He also previously complained that he was short of money since the soft coup d’etat last November put him and his family under house arrest within their vast estate in Harare’s northern suburbs. Mr Mugabe claimed he lacked funds to repair the roof of his Chinesesty­le mansion and needed to move.

Mrs Mugabe led a campaign within Zanu-pf against Mr Mnangagwa to stop him becoming her husband’s successor. But this week she gushed: “He loves us. He knows we love him too.”

Mr Mnangagwa fled to Mozambique after he was sacked last October following months of humiliatio­n when he was criticised at rallies by Mrs Mugabe, often as he sat in the front row.

He was taken to hospital in South Africa because he said he was poisoned at a rally he attended with the Mugabes.

In June, an explosion at a rally addressed by Mr Mnangagwa, killed two aides and injured two ministers.

Mr Mnangagwa appointed his cabinet yesterday, ignoring most of those previously favoured by Mr Mugabe.

‘We have accepted the result and the will of the people. The gun does not and should not lead politics’

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