'ANGRY AND BITTER' MUGABE SAYS MNANGAGWA 'MUST APOLOGISE' - REPORT
HARARE - A bitter Robert Mugabe says new President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his allies should apologise for last year’s military operation that ousted him from power – and he doesn't think Zanu-PF will win this year's polls.
Mugabe made the comments at a private party held for him on Saturday at his Harare mansion to celebrate his 94th birthday.
"They must accept and apologise that what they did was wrong," the private Standard newspaper quoted Mugabe as telling guests, who included ex-members of Mugabe’s former cabinet.
He revealed that the ruling party still wanted to work with him ahead of elections due in July, but asked: "Can they be trusted again? Can our people vote for such a Zanu-PF, a Zanu-PF which shredded the constitution? I don't know."
Mugabe was persuaded to step down last November in the wake of an army takeover. Parliament had already begun a process to impeach him.
Commented prominent newspaper publisher Trevor Ncube on Twitter: "In his speech at this 94th birthday celebrations Robert Mugabe sounds like he will start an opposition political party. Anger and bitterness have overtaken him."
The head of the AU commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat visited Zimbabwe last week and told state media that Zimbabwe’s political transition was in line with its laws and constitution.
Meanwhile, Some Zanu-PF youths in rural Zimbabwe were reportedly "shocked" to hear that ex-president Mugabe as no longer the ruling party's leader three months after his ouster last November.
But three months after his ouster, some Zanu-PF youth in rural Mashonaland province were shocked to learn that the former president had been deposed, according to a New Zimbabwe.com report.
Mashonaland chairperson, Mike Madiro revealed this while addressing a Zanu-PF extra ordinary provincial committee in Mutare recently.
"We had a meeting in Chipinge and in some areas such as Mahenye our cadres did not even know that (ex) president Mugabe was no longer in office. They were shocked to hear the news that president Mugabe is no longer in power.