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Tag: Emmerson Mnangagwa

  • Mugabe granted immunity as part of resignation deal – sources

    Mugabe granted immunity as part of resignation deal – sources

    Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution, sources close to the negotiations said on Thursday.

    According to the source, Mugabe was assured that his safety would be protected in his home country as part of a deal that led to his resignation.

    Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for close to four decades but stepped down on Tuesday after the army seized power and the ruling party turned against him.

    Emmerson Mnangagwa, the former vice president, is set to be sworn in as president on Friday.

    Zimbabwe was once one of Africa’s most promising economies but suffered decades of decline as Mugabe pursued policies that included the violent seizure of white-owned commercial farms and money-printing that led to hyperinflation.

    Most of its 16 million people remain poor and face currency shortages and sky-high unemployment, something Mnangagwa promised to address.

    “We want to grow our economy, we want peace in our country, we want jobs, jobs, jobs,” he told the crowd, adding: “The will of the people will always, always succeed.”

    Mnangagwa’s dismissal was the trigger for the army and former political allies to move against Mugabe, feted as an independence hero when Zimbabwe broke with former colonial power Britain in 1980 but later feared as a despot.

    He resigned as president on Tuesday as parliament began an impeachment process, after resisting pressure to do so for a week.

    People danced in the streets following his downfall, some brandishing posters of Mnangagwa and army chief Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, who led the takeover.

    Parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda said on Wednesday that Mnangagwa would be sworn in as president on Friday after being nominated by ZANU-PF to fill the vacancy left by Mugabe.

    The demise of Mugabe leaves Zimbabwe in a different situation to a number of other African countries where veteran leaders have been toppled in popular uprisings or through elections.

    The army appears to have engineered a trouble-free path to power for Mnangagwa, who was for decades a faithful lieutenant of Mugabe and member of his elite.

    He was also in charge of internal security when rights groups say 20,000 civilians were killed in the 1980s.

    “Mugabe has gone but I don’t see Mnangagwa doing anything different from that old man.

    “This is not the change I expected but let us give him time,” said security guard Edgar Mapuranga, who sat by a bank cash machine that was out of money.

    Restoring the country’s fortunes and international standing will be a challenge.

    Alleged human rights abuses and flawed elections prompted many Western countries to impose sanctions in the early 2000s that further hurt the economy, even with Chinese investment to soften the blow.

    Staging clean elections next year will be key to winning fresh funds.

    Although Mnangagwa is almost certain to win any vote, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s personal representative for Africa, Guenther Nooke, said it would be a victory for Zimbabwe’s “old elites” with the help of China.

    “He will manage to get elected using fear or many tricks, and then we’ll have a succession from one tyrant to the next,” Nooke told broadcaster SWR2.

    China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it respected Mugabe’s decision to resign.

    In London, Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain wanted Zimbabwe to rejoin the international community now that Mugabe has resigned.

    Mnangagwa met neighbouring South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma before his return on Wednesday.

    Mugabe is one of the last of a generation of African leaders who led their countries to independence and then ruled, among them Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya, Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Ivory Coast and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.

    The African Union said he would be remembered “as a fearless pan-Africanist liberation fighter and the father of the independent Zimbabwean nation” and that his decision to step down would enhance his legacy.

    But he also stifled democracy en route to winning a series of elections. His government is accused by the opposition and human rights groups of persecuting and killing opponents.

    The forced takeover of white-owned farms from around 2000 aimed to bolster his popular support but crippled foreign exchange earnings from agriculture.

    Mnangagwa’s human rights record also stirs hostility in many Zimbabweans.

    “The dark past is not going to disappear. They will be following him around like a piece of chewing gum on his shoe,” International Crisis Group’s southern Africa senior consultant Piers Pigou said.

    “For him to really be seen to be doing the right thing, he’s going to have to introduce policies that fundamentally undermine the power structures of ZANU-PF, through a shift to genuine political pluralism and a decoupling of the party and state.”

    NAN

  • How Prophet Iginla predicted Zimbabwe leadership crisis

    How Prophet Iginla predicted Zimbabwe leadership crisis

    Respected preacher and Senior Pastor of Champions Royal Assembly, Kubwa, Abuja, Prophet Joshua Iginla, known for his accurate predictions about national and global events without fear, has continued to score higher.

    The televangelist and had predicted the crisis first during the church cross over service this year, again on the 14th of May and 2nd of July, 2017 during his church services.

    In his words, “One of the African country needs to pray against military intervention, I don’t want to say South, North, East or West Africa but one of the African countries should pray against military intervention so that their democracy will not be truncated’.

    “I see military intervention. I don’t know why they are intervening but what they are intervening for is between God and the future.

    “This country has to pray so they don’t go back to where they are coming from”.

    Recall, on 14th November, 2017, Zimbabwe’s military leaders seized control of the impoverished Southern African nation, placing longtime leader, Robert Mugabe under house arrest and deploying armored vehicles to the streets of the capital, Harare.

    Analysts say it appears to be the climax of a power struggle between liberation-era figures loyal to the country’s ousted vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa and forces faithful to First Lady, Grace Mugabe, wife of Robert Mugabe who is seen as vying to succeed her 93-year-old husband.

    The events on Tuesday 21st November, 2017 led to Robert Mugabe’s resignation as the president of Zimbabwe, ending his 37-year reign.

    Bro. Iginla however, noted that he is not particular about the removal of Mugabe but that the right person should take charge.

    He further commended the military for not staging a coup but simply intervening according to the message God gave to him concerning the crisis.

  • Mnangagwa to be sworn in as Zimbabwe’s president on Friday

    Mnangagwa to be sworn in as Zimbabwe’s president on Friday

    Zimbabwe’s former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in as president on Friday following the resignation of Robert Mugabe, state broadcaster ZBC reported on Wednesday.

    Mnangagwa, who fled for his safety after Mugabe sacked him two weeks ago, will land back in Zimbabwe at 6pm (1600 GMT) at Manyame Airbase in Harare, ZBC said.

    Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday, a week after the army and his former political allies moved

    to end four decades of rule by a man once feted as an independence hero who became feared as a despot.

    Mnangagwa, whose sacking this month prompted the military takeover that forced Mugabe out, was expected to land

    in Zimbabwe at 1130 GMT, Larry Mavhima, an ally of the former vice president, told Reuters.

    Mnangagwa, 75, who fled from Zimbabwe in fear of his safety after being sacked this month, could be sworn in as

    president later on Wednesday or on Thursday and is likely to lead ZANU-PF into elections in 2018.

    Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday, a week after the army and his former political allies moved to end four decades of rule by a man once feted as an independence hero who became feared as a despot.

    The 93-year-old Mugabe had clung on for a week after an army takeover, with ZANU-PF urging him to go.

    He finally resigned moments after parliament began an impeachment process seen as the only legal way to force him out.

    People danced in the streets of Harare and car horns blared at the news that the era of Mugabe, who had led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, was finally over.

    Some brandished posters of Mnangagwa and army chief General Constantino Chiwenga.

    Speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda is due to hold a news conference at 8.30 GMT.

    Read Also:  EX Zimbabwean VP to return home after Mugabe’s resignation

  • EX Zimbabwean VP to return home after Mugabe’s resignation

    EX Zimbabwean VP to return home after Mugabe’s resignation

    Former vice president  ( VP ) of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is expected to be sworn in as president following the resignation of Robert Mugabe, will return home on Wednesday, a ruling party ZANU-PF official said.

    Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday, a week after the army and his former political allies moved to end four decades of rule by a man once feted as an independence hero who became feared as a despot.

    Mnangagwa, whose sacking this month prompted the military takeover that forced Mugabe out, was expected to land in Zimbabwe at 1130 GMT, Larry Mavhima, an ally of the former vice president, told Reuters.

    Mnangagwa, 75, who fled from Zimbabwe in fear of his safety after being sacked this month, could be sworn in as president later on Wednesday or on Thursday and is likely to lead ZANU-PF into elections in 2018.

    Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday, a week after the army and his former political allies moved to end four decades of rule by a man once feted as an independence hero who became feared as a despot.

    The 93-year-old Mugabe had clung on for a week after an army takeover, with ZANU-PF urging him to go.

    He finally resigned moments after parliament began an impeachment process seen as the only legal way to force him out.

    People danced in the streets of Harare and car horns blared at the news that the era of Mugabe, who had led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, was finally over.

    Some brandished posters of Mnangagwa and army chief General Constantino Chiwenga.

    Speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda is due to hold a news conference at 0830 GMT.

    Read Also: Zimbabwe: What next after Mugabe?

  • The man Emmerson Mnangagwa

    The man Emmerson Mnangagwa

    Former Vice-President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former Zimbabwean Vice President, who was sacked by Robert Mugabe, would be sworn in today, media reports said last night.

    Local media and Zimbabwean sources said Mr. Mnangagwa would be sworn to replace Mr. Mugabe who resigned yesterday afternoon after 37-years in office.

    The 71-year-old was removed from office and exiled 13 days after Mr. Mugabe accused him of disloyalty and insubordination.

    Mugabe had reportedly taken the action to pave the way for the emergence of his wife, Grace, as the new leader of the ruling ZANU-PF ahead of the country’s general election in August next year.

    Mnangagwa is said to be popular amongst the powerful war veterans and the Zimbabwean military chiefs.

    He is a politician and longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe is a senior member of the ruling ZANU–PF party.

    The Zvishavane, Southern Rhodesia-born politician served as vice president under Mugabe from 2014 until he fell out of favour and was fired by Mugabe 13 days ago.

    Mnangagwa, who was forced into exile, was on Sunday appointed interim leader of the ZANU-PF at a meeting.

    Born September 15, 1946, Mnangagwa is married to Auxilia and he father to Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr. and Farai Seline.

    He attended the University of Zambia between 1973 and 1974. He is from.

  • Mugabe resigns as President of Zimbabwe

    Mugabe resigns as President of Zimbabwe

    The embattled President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has resigned, ending his 37-year rule.

    The 93-year-old leader announced his resignation in a letter read by the Speaker on Tuesday afternoon.

    According to the Speaker, Mugabe noted that the decision to step down is voluntary.

    The country’s parliamentary speaker made the announcement, stopping impeachment proceedings to say he had received a resignation letter from Mr Mugabe “with immediate effect”.

    •Robert Mugabe

    There is jubilation on the streets of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe as the news of Mugabe’s resignation, after close to four decades of his administration, break out.

    Mugabe’s resignation follows moves by both Zimbabwe’s ruling and opposition parties to impeach the 93-year-old leader.

    Recall that pressure came from ousted vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who said Mr Mugabe should acknowledge the nation’s “insatiable desire” for a leadership change and resign immediately.

    It is a stunning end for what was the world’s oldest leader.

  • Mugabe appears in public for first time since coup

    Mugabe appears in public for first time since coup

    Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrived at a university graduation ceremony in the capital on Friday, his first public appearance since a military seizure of power that political sources say is aimed at ending his 37 years in office.

    Wearing a blue and yellow academic gown and mortar board hat, the 93-year-old sat in large wooden chair at the front the hall.

    He was greeted by ululations from the crowd as he declared the ceremony open.

    Earlier, leaders of Mugabe’s party are making plans to force him from office if the 93-year-old leader resists pressure from the army to quit.

    The self-styled grand old man of African politics, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since independence in 1980, insists he is still in charge. But the source, a senior member of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, made clear the party wanted him gone.

    “If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday,” the source said. “When that is done, it’s impeachment on Tuesday.”

    Zimbabwe’s official newspaper, the Herald, ran photographs late on Thursday that showed a grinning Mugabe shaking hands with military chief General Constantino Chiwenga, who seized power this week.

    That suggested Mugabe was managing to hold out against Chiwenga’s coup, with some political sources saying he was trying to delay his departure until elections scheduled for next year.

    The ZANU-PF source said that was not the case. Anxious to avoid a protracted stalemate, party leaders were drawing up plans to dismiss Mugabe at the weekend if he refused to quit, the source said.

    “There is no going back,” the source told Reuters. “It’s like a match delayed by heavy rain, with the home side leading 90-0 in the 89th minute.”

    Mugabe’s options look limited.

    The army is camped on his doorstep.

    His wife, Grace, is under house arrest, and her key political allies are in military custody.

    The police, once a bastion of support, have showed no signs of resistance.

    Furthermore, he has little popular backing in the capital, a hotbed of support for the opposition, which has tapped into the anger and frustration at his handling of the economy, which collapsed after the seizure of white-owned farms in 2000.

    Unemployment is now running at nearly 90 per cent.

    Chronic shortages of hard currency are driving up the price of imports as much as 50 per cent a month.

    On social media, Zimbabweans circulated a spoof message to Chiwenga demonstrating the depth of anger at Mugabe.

    “If Mugabe refuses to resign, let the army take him to First Street and leave him there. People of Zim will negotiate with him,” the message read.

    In a statement broadcast on national television, the military said it was “engaging” with Mugabe and would announce an outcome as soon as possible.

    The United States, a longtime Mugabe critic, is seeking “a new era”, the State Department’s top official for Africa said, an implicit call for Mugabe to quit.

    In an interview with Reuters, acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto appeared to dismiss the idea of keeping Mugabe in an interim or ceremonial role.

    “It’s a transition to a new era for Zimbabwe, that’s really what we’re hoping for,” Yamamoto said.

    The army appears to want Mugabe to go quietly and allow a smooth and bloodless transition to Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president, whose sacking on Nov. 6 triggered the military takeover.

    NAN

  • Zimbabwe: Oxfam expresses hope of the return of democracy

    Zimbabwe: Oxfam expresses hope of the return of democracy

    International charity Oxfam has expressed hope that democracy in Zimbabwe would hold,after the country’s military took over.

    Stewart Muchapera, Oxfam’s media and communications adviser for Southern Africa, told Sputnik: “for now I think everything is calm and there is an air of opportunity. The situation remains calm and our hope is that the tenants of democracy should hold,”

    On Tuesday, media reported that armored vehicles had been moving toward the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.

    Media also said that there were explosions in the city. The country’s military explained that it was mobilising against the criminals.

    Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is reportedly under heavy guard.

    Muchapera, who is on ground in Harare, said, inspite of a large-scale military presence in Harare, residents have continued with their everyday lives.

    “I think in terms of armored vehicles they are only in strategic points and people are going on with their day-to-day lives and there have not been any shots in the streets.

    “Yes, there is a heavy presence of soldiers in the city but everything is normal,” Muchapera said.

    The ongoing situation is unlikely to affect the charity’s activities in the country, the Oxfam communications adviser added.

    “[Our operations will] not necessarily [be affected]. Our operations are going on and we are continuing our investment into the community.

    “We are here to help the needy in the community,” Muchapera said.

    On Nov. 6, Mugabe fired Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had been considered the president’s potential successor and had the support of the armed forces.

    On Monday, Constantine Chiwenga, the commander of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces, called on the president to end the purge within the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party, from which Mnangagwa had been expelled.

    NAN

  • Mugabe sacks vice president Mnangagwa

    Mugabe sacks vice president Mnangagwa

    President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday fired Emmerson Mnangagwa as vice president, Information Minister Simon Moyo said.

    Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old former intelligence chief, has been heavily-criticised by supporters of Mugabe’s wife, Grace, who has also been touted as a potential successor to her husband.

    Moyo said Mnangagwa had exhibited traits of disloyalty, disrespect and deceitfulness.

    Mnangagwa was appointed vice-president in 2014, taking over from Joice Muguru, who was axed after Grace launched a campaign accusing her of plotting to topple the president.

    NAN reports that on Oct. 6, Mugabe’s wife accused Mnangagwa of a dark past of clandestine plots, including planning to stage a coup around the time of Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.

    “In 1980 this person called Mnangagwa wanted to stage a coup. He wanted to wrestle power from the president.

    “He was conspiring with whites. That man is a ravisher,” said Grace.

    Inspite of his advanced age and concerns over his health, Mugabe has refused to name a successor.

    He has been endorsed as his party’s candidate for next year’s election.

    NAN

  • Zimbabwe’s new vice president sworn in

    Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was sworn into office on Friday, cementing his status as the leading candidate to succeed his 90-year-old boss Robert Mugabe, the country’s sole ruler since independence from Britain in 1980.

    Mnangagwa, nicknamed “The Crocodile”, benefited from the fall of Joice Mujuru, Mugabe’s deputy of 10 years, who was fired earlier this week following accusations of a plot to unseat the ageing leader.

    At a ceremony held at Mugabe’s State House offices, Mnangagwa and another vice president, Phelekezela Mphoko, took their oaths of loyalty, alongside several new cabinet ministers.

    Mnangagwa will retain his role as minister of justice, which enables him to push through government laws in parliament.

    The 68-year-old is one of Mugabe’s most trusted lieutenants, having served at his side through five decades of prison, guerrilla war and then post-liberation government.

    Along the way, he earned the monicker “Ngwena,” Shona for “Crocodile,” an animal famed in Zimbabwean lore for its stealth and ruthlessness.

    Mugabe is Africa’s oldest head of state, but despite his advanced age, he has shown no sign of looking to stand aside. Earlier this month, he was re-elected unopposed once more as leader of his ZANU-PF party, putting him on track to contest the 2018 presidential elections, when he will be 94.