Impeachment moves under way against Mugabe

ZIMBABWE’S ruling party has ordered impeachment proceedings to begin against President Robert Mugabe and expressed confidence he could be voted out within two days.

The world’s oldest head of state, meanwhile, ignored the party’s deadline to resign and instead summoned ministers to a Cabinet meeting this morning.

The ruling Zanu-PF party’s deputy secretary for legal affairs Paul Mangwana said politicians would move a motion for impeachment today and set up a parliamentary committee, and on Wednesday the committee would report back and “we vote him out”.

The main charge against the 93-year-old Mr Mugabe is “allowing his wife to usurp government powers” and that “he is too old and cannot even walk without help”, Mr Mangwana told reporters.

He said the ruling party needs the backing of the MDC opposition group to have enough votes in Parliament but “we have talked to them and they are supporting us”.

Zimbabweans were stunned by Mr Mugabe’s defiance during a national address on Sunday night in which the increasingly isolated president, put under military house arrest last week, had been expected to step down. Mr Mugabe did acknowledge “a whole range of concerns” about the state of the government and the economy, which has collapsed since he took power after independence from white minority rule in 1980.

A notice by Mr Mugabe’s chief secretary announced this morning’s Cabinet meeting at State House and said all ministers “should attend”.