ED responds to Mugabe claims

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday said former President Robert Mugabe was “entitled to express himself freely, as is the case for any private citizen”, but the nation had since moved on.

Mr Mugabe on Thursday convened a Press conference to a select group of local and foreign media organisations and claimed that he was “unconstitutionally” deposed through a coup despite resigning ahead of imminent impeachment on November 21, last year.

He further claimed he was ready to talk to President Mnangagwa to right what he claimed was an “illegality’’.

However, President Mnangagwa noted that Mr Mugabe had resigned in accordance with the law of the land.

In a statement issued through the Office of the President and Cabinet, the Head of State and Government indicated that Zimbabwe had since moved on and was now focussing on delivering a free, fair and credible election.

“President Emmerson D. Mnangagwa has noted recent remarks made to the media by former President Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

“On 21 November, 2017, former President Mugabe tendered his resignation in terms of Section 96, Sub-Section 1, of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. He is entitled to express freely, as is the case for any private citizen,” read the statement.

Government, President Mnangagwa said, continues to honour its obligation to the former leaders’ welfare and benefits “as provided for under the Constitution of Zimbabwe”.

“The nation has moved on. Our focus at this time shall remain on preparing for free, fair and credible elections in 2018.

“This is a key step in the immense task at hand, which is to left our people from the effects of years of severe economic regression and international isolation,” he said.

Mr Mugabe resigned on November 21 after the military intervened to arrest a fast deteriorating socio-economic and political environment in the country, which naturally triggered the elevation of Cde Mnangagwa, who by then had been elected as Zanu-PF’s First Secretary by the ruling party’s Central Committee, to the highest office in the land.

The Constitution empowers the party represented by the President who would have resigned to select a new leader to see out his term.