President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was fired as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party on Sunday and replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the deputy he sacked this month,
Harare – President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was fired as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party on Sunday and replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the deputy he sacked this month,
sources at a special ZANU-PF meeting to decide Mugabe’s fate told Reuters.
Mugabe
“He has been expelled,” one of delegates told Reuters.
“Mnangagwa is our new leader.” Three other delegates confirmed Mugabe’s dismissal.
Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, said that the president and his wife Grace are “ready to die for what is correct” and have no intention of stepping down.
Speaking to Reuters from a secret location in South Africa, Zhuwao said Mugabe had hardly slept since the military seized power on Wednesday but his health was otherwise “good”.
An extraordinary meeting of the party’s central committee convened around 10:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) to consider removing the 93-year-old, four days after a military seizure of power ostensibly aimed at “criminals” within his entourage.
Separately, state television said Mugabe would meet military commanders on Sunday, quoting the Catholic priest who has been mediating in negotiations with the president.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Harare, singing, dancing and hugging soldiers in an outpouring of elation at Mugabe’s overthrow.
ZANU-PF’s central committee is also expected to reinstate Mnangagwa as party vice-president, resurrecting the political career of the former security chief, nicknamed The Crocodile, whose sacking this month triggered the military’s intervention.
Mugabe’s wife, Grace, will be fired as head of the ZANU-PF Women’s League, the sources told Reuters, completing the demise of a 52-year-old former government typist who just a week ago stood in pole position to succeed her husband after Mnangagwa’s dismissal.
The pair’s stunning downfall is likely to send shockwaves across Africa, where a number of entrenched strongmen, from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni to Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila, are facing mounting pressure to step aside.
In scenes reminiscent of the downfall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, men, women and children ran alongside the armoured cars and troops who stepped in this week to oust the man who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.
Under house arrest in his lavish ‘Blue Roof’ compound, Mugabe has refused to stand down even as he has watched his support from party, security services and people evaporate in less than three days.
On Harare’s streets, few seemed to care about the legal niceties as they heralded a “second liberation” for the former British colony and spoke of their dreams for political and economic change after two decades of deepening repression and hardship.
“These are tears of joy,” said Frank Mutsindikwa, 34, holding aloft the Zimbabwean flag.
“I’ve been waiting all my life for this day. Free at last. We are free at last.”
The crowds in Harare have so far given a quasi-democratic veneer to the army’s intervention, backing its assertion that it is merely effecting a constitutional transfer of power, which would help it avoid the diplomatic backlash and opprobrium that normally follow a coup.
The U.S., a long-time Mugabe critic, said it was looking forward to a “new era” in Zimbabwe, while President Ian Khama of neighbouring Botswana said Mugabe had no diplomatic support in the region and should resign at once.(Reuters/NAN)
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Sunday Njokede • 4 hours ago
Sweet victory for the whole world íncluding Nigeria. Shame on dictators and despots.
Jumpingbrook • 4 hours ago
Na so Breaking: Mugabe Sacks Vice President Mnangagwa
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Dirty Politics Should Never Be Countenanced In Our Party - Zimbabwe's Mugabe
Zimbabwe's ageing President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday criticised ruling party officials for allegedly "bickering" over positions of power and jostling to succeed him.
Mugabe
“He has been expelled,” one of delegates told Reuters.
“Mnangagwa is our new leader.” Three other delegates confirmed Mugabe’s dismissal.
Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, said that the president and his wife Grace are “ready to die for what is correct” and have no intention of stepping down.
Speaking to Reuters from a secret location in South Africa, Zhuwao said Mugabe had hardly slept since the military seized power on Wednesday but his health was otherwise “good”.
An extraordinary meeting of the party’s central committee convened around 10:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) to consider removing the 93-year-old, four days after a military seizure of power ostensibly aimed at “criminals” within his entourage.
Separately, state television said Mugabe would meet military commanders on Sunday, quoting the Catholic priest who has been mediating in negotiations with the president.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Harare, singing, dancing and hugging soldiers in an outpouring of elation at Mugabe’s overthrow.
ZANU-PF’s central committee is also expected to reinstate Mnangagwa as party vice-president, resurrecting the political career of the former security chief, nicknamed The Crocodile, whose sacking this month triggered the military’s intervention.
Mugabe’s wife, Grace, will be fired as head of the ZANU-PF Women’s League, the sources told Reuters, completing the demise of a 52-year-old former government typist who just a week ago stood in pole position to succeed her husband after Mnangagwa’s dismissal.
The pair’s stunning downfall is likely to send shockwaves across Africa, where a number of entrenched strongmen, from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni to Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila, are facing mounting pressure to step aside.
In scenes reminiscent of the downfall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, men, women and children ran alongside the armoured cars and troops who stepped in this week to oust the man who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.
Under house arrest in his lavish ‘Blue Roof’ compound, Mugabe has refused to stand down even as he has watched his support from party, security services and people evaporate in less than three days.
On Harare’s streets, few seemed to care about the legal niceties as they heralded a “second liberation” for the former British colony and spoke of their dreams for political and economic change after two decades of deepening repression and hardship.
“These are tears of joy,” said Frank Mutsindikwa, 34, holding aloft the Zimbabwean flag.
“I’ve been waiting all my life for this day. Free at last. We are free at last.”
The crowds in Harare have so far given a quasi-democratic veneer to the army’s intervention, backing its assertion that it is merely effecting a constitutional transfer of power, which would help it avoid the diplomatic backlash and opprobrium that normally follow a coup.
The U.S., a long-time Mugabe critic, said it was looking forward to a “new era” in Zimbabwe, while President Ian Khama of neighbouring Botswana said Mugabe had no diplomatic support in the region and should resign at once.(Reuters/NAN)
ADEKUNLE
View All Posts By Adekunle →
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Disclaimer
Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.
Sorry, the browser you are using is not currently supported. Disqus actively supports the following browsers:
Firefox
Chrome
Internet Explorer 11+
Safari
Sunday Njokede • 4 hours ago
Sweet victory for the whole world íncluding Nigeria. Shame on dictators and despots.
Jumpingbrook • 4 hours ago
Na so Breaking: Mugabe Sacks Vice President Mnangagwa
November 6, 2017 Mugabe Makes Way For Wife As Successor
November 7, 2017
Dirty Politics Should Never Be Countenanced In Our Party - Zimbabwe's Mugabe
Zimbabwe's ageing President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday criticised ruling party officials for allegedly "bickering" over positions of power and jostling to succeed him.
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