Mugabe seen in public as military arrest his allies

Zimbabwe: Plans for leader’ s removal gather pace

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has made his first public appearance since the military put him under house arrest this week, attending a graduation ceremony on the outskirts of Harare.

His appearance came as the military announced “significant progress” on talks for his departure and arrested some of his allies, and branches of the ruling party began to pass no-confidence votes in the world’s oldest head of state.

Mugabe attended the Zimbabwe Open University graduation event, to polite applause, amid an extraordinary series of negotiations with regional leaders over his departure after 37 years in power.

Zimbabwe’s military is taking pains to show respect for the 93-year-old by referring to him as the president and the commander-in-chief.

But some in his ruling Zanu-PF party signalled they were getting impatient with Mugabe, with party branches passing no-confidence votes in the provinces of Mashonaland East and Manicaland. Others among the country’s 10 provinces, including Harare, were said to be following suit.

Parliament is expected to resume sitting on Tuesday. It is possible that Zanu-PF could use party procedures to impeach Mugabe with the support of opposition legislators.

Mugabe has asked for “a few more days, a few more months”, the chairman of the influential war veterans’ association in Zimbabwe told reporters.

Chris Mutsvangwa, an ally of the recently fired vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is expected to lead any new government, said that “between now and tomorrow” they will warn Mugabe that the game is over.

Mr Mutsvangwa also said three cabinet ministers have been arrested in the military’s efforts to pursue Mugabe allies. Education minister Jonathan Moyo, local government minister Saviour Kasukuwere and finance minister Ignatious Chombo “are in jail”.

The military is seeking senior officials who were associates of first lady Grace Mugabe, part of a clique dubbed the G40 because many were in their 40s and 50s - a different generation from the one that fought for independence from white minority rule.

Mrs Mugabe’s rapid political rise had alarmed many who feared she could succeed her husband after he fired his long-time deputy Mr Mnangagwa last week. That firing set off the military’s moves.

There was no sign of the first lady at yesterday’s graduation ceremony.

Harare residents said they had feared at first when the military moved in but praised the current calm.

Robert Mugabe: captive