Mugabe’s resignation is celebrated at last
Dancing in the streets as president tenders resignation
IT WAS a moment in history that millions prayed for but dared not expect.
Robert Mugabe – who had said only God would remove him from office – finally stood down after first his own military and then lawmakers called time on his 37-year rule. Once praised as a hero, he was now commonly denounced as a dictator responsible for economic mismanagement, human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
At 93, he was the world’s oldest head of state. Now he has gone that record passes to the Queen, who is 91. Mr Mugabe — who had ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 — resigned as president after lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him.
The speaker of the Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, read out a letter in which Mr Mugabe said he was stepping down “with immediate effect” for “the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and the need for a peaceful transfer of power”.
The relief among the people of Zimbabwe was palpable yesterday. Lawmakers cheered, and jubilant residents poured into the streets of the capital Harare. The resignation gives Zimbabwe the opportunity to “forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule”, Prime Minister Theresa May said.
THE CELEBRATIONS started the moment the word “resignation” was out.
After days of anxiety and tension, the news Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, had stepped down sparked scenes of jubilation.
MPs clapped and cheered and some even broke into a dance, while in the streets, the news spread like wildfire.
Cars honked and people danced and sang across the city in a spectacle of free expression that would have been impossible during his rule.
“Welcome to the new Zimbabwe”, people chanted outside a conference centre where politicians had gathered to impeach Mr Mugabe after he ignored escalating calls to quit since a military takeover.
“Change was overdue... Maybe this change will bring jobs,” said 23-year-old Thomas Manase, an unemployed university graduate – too young to have ever known a leader apart from Mugabe.
In a message read by parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda, Mr Mugabe said his decision to resign was “voluntary” and motivated by a desire for a “smooth, non-violent transfer of power.”
It means the way is now clear for recently fired vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa – nicknamed The Crocodile – to take over as the country’s leader.
Mr Mnangagwa, 75, a former ally of Mr Mugabe who served for decades as his enforcer, has a reputation for being astute and ruthless, more feared than popular.
Earlier yesterday he said Mr Mugabe should acknowledge the nation’s “insatiable desire” for a leadership change and resign immediately, adding to the pressure on Mr Mugabe to quit after a 37year rule during which he evolved from a champion of the fight against white minority rule into a figure blamed for a collapsing economy, government dysfunction and human rights violations.
“Never should the nation be held at ransom by one person ever again, whose desire is to die in office at whatever cost to the nation,” said Mr Mnangagwa, who has a loyal support base in the military.
Zimbabwe’s polarising First Lady Grace Mugabe had been positioning herself to succeed her husband, leading a party faction that engineered Mr Mnangagwa’s removal.
The prospect of a dynastic succession alarmed the military, which confined Mr Mugabe to his home last week and targeted what it called “criminals” around him who allegedly were looting state resources – a reference to associates of the First Lady.
Mrs Mugabe has not been seen since the military stepped in.
Mr Mnangagwa was targeted by US sanctions in the early 2000s for undermining democratic development in Zimbabwe, according to the Atlantic Council, a US-based policy institute.
However, J Peter Pham, an Africa expert at the council, noted that some Zimbabwean opposition figures have appeared willing to have dialogue with Mr Mnangagwa in order to move the country forward, and that the international community should consider doing the same. “We’re not saying whitewash the past, but it is in the interests of everyone that Zimbabwe is engaged at this critical time,” Mr Pham said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Zimbabweans simply enjoyed the moment. “Today’s a good day,” said Eric Machona, a Harare resident. “People are very happy.”
Those who have left the country to forge a new life abroad agreed. Alan Boyce, who was the last to leave Zimbabwe to join his family in the UK, said he was looking forward to “a drink or two” after work. “We don’t know what the future brings,” he said. “It can’t be any worse.”
We don’t know what the future holds but it can’t be any worse. Alan Boyce, who was the last to leave Zimbabwe to join his family in the UK.