According to New Zimbabwe.com, Mnangagwa said this during a one-day state visit to Mozambique this week.

Mnangagwa revealed that in a telephone conversation between him and Mugabe, the nonagenarian enquired about his (Mnangagwa’s) whereabouts and was told that he was in South Africa following reports that elements within the ruling party were plotting to kill him.

Mnangagwa said that as the two were talking, he realised that Mugabe did not remember firing him a week earlier.

This then raised questions about who had been making decisions on behalf of the soon to be 94-year-old leader, as his loyalists had often claimed that he was still mentally fit and was making decisions on his own.

Mnangagwa’s remarks came after his spokesperson George Charamba recently claimed that the veteran leader tried to reinstate his ex-deputy in his previous post.

Charamba revealed that Mugabe desperately tried to reappoint his former deputy at the height of massive street protests against him. Charamba was involved in the negotiations that eventually led to Mugabe stepping aside.

In his interview about the upheaval that shook the country at the end of last year, Charamba also described how Zimbabwean border guards attempted to shoot Mnangagwa as he sought to flee, fearing for his life.

“Mnangagwa recounted a scuffle at the Mozambican border where officials attempted to shoot him, but were disarmed by one of his twin sons,” reported Zimbabwe’s Daily News.

Mnangagwa has previously said that he feared an attempt would be made on his life after his personal protection officers were withdrawn following his sacking.

He subsequently made it to an airstrip where an acquaintance sent a private plane which carried him to South Africa from where he negotiated with Mugabe.

Click below to watch the video:

–

Source: news24

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Mr Mnangagwa has made Sibusiso Moyo, the general who appeared on state TV after the recent military takeover, the new foreign minister.

The head of Zimbabwe’s air force, Perence Shiri, was named the minister of agriculture and land affairs.

Mr Mnangagwa was sworn in last week after Robert Mugabe agreed to resign.

The man who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years stepped down after the military intervened following the sacking of Mr Mnangagwa as vice-president.

Mr Mnangagwa – who had fled Zimbabwe earlier this month only to return to a hero’s welcome – has for decades been part of the country’s ruling elite.

His dismissal as vice-president – after he was accused of plotting to take power – led the ruling party and the army to intervene.

On 14 November, army tanks rolled into Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, detaining Mr Mugabe and placing him under house arrest.

The military denied it that was staging a coup and maintained that it was acting against “criminals” surrounding Mr Mugabe.

It came after a power struggle over who might replace the president, with Mr Mnangagwa and Mr Mugabe’s wife, Grace, on opposite sides.

Despite pledging a “new destiny” for Zimbabwe, Mr Mnangagwa is still associated by many with some of the worst atrocities committed under the ruling Zanu-PF party since the country gained independence in 1980.

–

Source: BBC

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Father Fidelis Mukonori said he would provide “advice” as an elder statesman, including to the new president.

Mr Mugabe, 93, resigned on Tuesday after a military intervention and days of mass protests.

Mr Mukonori said he could not confirm reports that the ex-leader was granted $10m (£7.5m) to ease him out of office.

Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in to replace Mr Mugabe as president on Friday.

Mr Mnangagwa, long a close ally of Mr Mugabe, was sacked earlier this month, triggering the political crisis that eventually saw his boss’s downfall.

Father Mukonori, 70, who is close to Robert Mugabe and acted as a mediator between him and the military, said the new president would go to his predecessor for political counsel.

“In the African world, senior citizens are there for advice,” he told the BBC’s Richard Galpin at a church outside the capital, Harare, after leading a service that included prayers giving thanks for the peaceful transfer of power.

He referred to what Mr Mnangagwa said about his predecessor at his inauguration.

“When he says ‘he’s my father, he’s my leader, he’s my mentor’, you tell me he’s going to stay off from his father, from his mentor, from his leader? I don’t think so.”

The priest said that Mr Mugabe and his wife Grace remained at their house in Harare and had no plans to leave the country.

The military takeover came in response to Mr Mugabe’s decision to position Grace as his successor and sack Mr Mnangagwa from the vice-presidency.

Father Mukonori said he could not confirm reports that the ex-president was granted millions of dollars and promised that his assets would not be touched to persuade him to step down.

“We didn’t offer him anything… He resigned for the good of Zimbabwe,” he said.

He added: “What I have read in the newspapers is about immunity [from prosecution], and that he will be looked after like any other former head of state.”

Mr Mugabe leaving power, he added, was the best thing he had ever done.

Separately on Sunday, Robert Mugabe was described as being “quite jovial” by a nephew in an interview with the French news agency AFP.

“He is actually looking forward to his new life – farming and staying at the rural home. He has taken it well,” Leo Mugabe said.

He said that Grace wanted to focus on already announced plans to build the controversial $1bn Robert Mugabe University in Mazowe, near Harare.

There are fears that President Mnangagwa, who is associated with some of worst atrocities committed under the ruling Zanu-PF party since independence in 1980, will not usher in the democratic reforms that many in Zimbabwe are hoping for.

But Father Mukonori said he believed the former spymaster knows that democracy is “crucial”.

–

Source: BBC

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In December 2007, Dr John Sentamu cut up his dog collar live on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, promising not to wear one until Mr Mugabe left office.

He said Zimbabwe’s leader had “taken people’s identity” and “cut it to pieces”, prompting him to do the same.

On Sunday, he returned to the Marr Show and reinstated his collar as promised.

Mr Mugabe left office dramatically on Tuesday after 37 years of authoritarian rule.

Dr Sentamu said: “Normally I [would] tie the top button and put on my collar, but for nearly 10 years I haven’t be able to. It has meant every morning I think of the people of Zimbabwe.”

After Andrew Marr presented him with an envelope containing the cut up pieces of his collar, Dr Sentamu said: “You’ve been a very faithful friend, you’ve kept them – that’s lovely.

“I could attempt to put this one back together using superglue, but it would be a pretty ropey collar. And I actually think the message for Zimbabwe is the same. They just can’t try and stitch it up. Something more radical, something new needs to happen.”

He said Mr Mugabe may have gone, but the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa – who was sworn in on Friday – was “still implicated in a lot of things”.

Although Mr Mnangagwa has unseated Zimbabwe’s long-time ruler, he is still associated by many with some of the worst atrocities committed under the ruling Zanu-PF party since the country gained independence in 1980.

Dr Sentamu added: “It’s quite possible that Mnangagwa could be a very, very good president. But he can’t simply bury the past – it won’t go away.”

He also said it could be possible for Zimbabweans to forgive Mr Mugabe.

“Mugabe needs to say at some point to Zimbabweans: ‘Forgive me’. He’s a very, very intelligent man and I think he is capable of doing it.”

–

Source: BBC

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On the evening of November 14, 2017, senior elements of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), seized control of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and other areas of the city of Harare. On November 15, 2017, the ZDF issued a statement that, it was not a coup d’état and that President Robert Mugabe was safe, and the situation would return to normal after the ZDF had dealt with the “criminals” around Mugabe responsible for the socio-economic problems of Zimbabwe.

The Tacit ‘Coup’?

There has been a long and unsolvable factional conflict within Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF which exploded on 14 November, 2017 in a military intervention that seized control of the government and state media. The coup was led by Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander, Constantino Chiwenga, who is alleged to be aligned with former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was sacked by President Robert Mugabe.

Exploiting the diminishing health of President Robert Mugabe over the years, Emmerson Mnangagwa who served as one of Zimbabwe’s Vice Presidents, carefully planned his succession to President Mugabe. He used his position to build support base within the ZANU-PF known as Team Lacoste, and with some strategic war veterans. His team became embroiled in a bitter struggle for power with the younger party members popularly known as Generation 40, or G40, which coalesced around Secretary of Women’s Affairs Grace Mugabe, wife of President Mugabe.

According to Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) report, Emmerson Mnangagwa, emboldened by Western powers which was subtly orchestrated by the British government, as early as 2015, began talks with opposition (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai on plans to a five-year transition government, in which both men would play a leading role. It is alleged that, this was the reason why the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai was hurriedly brought back from the United Kingdom to hold a press conference on the back of the military intervention to add his relevance to the process.

In furtherance, the unity government would compensate and restore dispossessed former British owners of large-scale farms, which in one report intercepted by the Reuters, it was reported that President Mugabe feared that Mnangagwa would attempt to reverse the land reform policy which is intended to secure the future wealth of Zimbabweans. These factors and the factional conflicts and maneuvering for power by Team Lacoste and G40, led to the sacking of Emmerson Mnangagwa.

However, Mugabe’s fears were confirmed by two prominent British political personalities at the time of the coup. The former British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mark Canning (2009-2011) indirectly approved the coup by saying that, “Zimbabwe has all the ingredients to claw its way back to the prosperity which its long-suffering citizens deserve – but only if Mr Mugabe’s successor has the courage to abandon the disastrous policies of the past.” (The Telegraph)

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson wrote that Mr Mugabe had tarnished “the jewel that is Zimbabwe”. And “Today, in one of Africa’s most fertile countries, many are close to starvation; the image that people in Britain have of Zimbabwe is not of the Victoria Falls or spectacular wildlife, but stolen farms and the bandaged victims of the regime’s brutality”. (The Independent)

Nevertheless, Mnangagwa, entrenched himself with Mugabe’s political ‘enemies’ and the western governments opposed to Mugabe’s regime and lobbying for reforms of the land policy. Mnangagwa together with his friend Commander Chiwenga, and Army Generals backed by western powers and alleged to be tactically supported by the Chinese army set out the agenda to end Mugabe’s rule.

How the Takeover Was Orchestrated

On the 14th & 15th November 2017, the Zimbabwe’s Defence Forces led by Mnangagwa’s allied and friend, Commander Constantine Chiwenga took control of government facilities and broadcasting house. Seizing the broadcasting house was to prevent ‘opposition’ voices to the coup to be heard, shut Mugabe out of the media and render him incommunicado, and then control and regulate propaganda dissemination against Mugabe, Grace, and Generation 40 appointees and members of the ZANU-PF members.

After successfully denigrating the G40 members by orchestrating the media reportage, they could not announce the overthrow of Robert Mugabe for fear of possible AU and sub-regional sanctions against Zimbabwe and the coup leaders. The military including the western powers, started the process of legitimacy by activating the ‘urban streets’ of young opposition members as MDC’s support base is largely urban, and some few young ZANU-PF members seeking economic liberation to pour on to the streets. Robert Mugabe’s and ZANU-PF support base is largely rural.

The overhyped demonstration was used by some elements of ZANU-PF executives to gain legitimacy by using it as a ground in the absence of Mugabe’s supporters, to vote to expel President Mugabe from the party and in his place appointed Emmerson Mnangagwa as head of the party. Mnangagwa and his backers were out for vengeance, and ZANU-PF announced that Grace Mugabe and G40 members would be prosecuted. “This action still left the coup leaders without the means of legally installing Mnangagwa in power, so Mugabe was given a deadline of 24 hours to resign, or he would face impeachment on Tuesday.”

President Mugabe refused to buckle down and insisted on supervising his exiting process. The military leaders sensing danger that, they may not be able to convince the entire ZANU-PF members at the next conference to vote or affirm the vote of expulsion of Robert Mugabe, quickly set the process of parliamentary impeachment in motion to tighten the noose. The 93-year-old Mugabe, who was held hostage and without his reliable appointees, reluctantly resigned.

The Forgotten Brief

In 1888, representatives from Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company deceived and induced an illiterate King Lobengula, of the Ndebele people to sign an agreement allowing the company to mine gold. This agreement granted the company “the complete and exclusive charge over all metals and minerals” in the region, as well as “full power to do all things that they may deem necessary to win and procure the same,” which the company was to interpret as permission to seize land. (Zimbabwe Under Siege)

After discovering that he was misled, King Lobengula sent a protest letter to Queen Victoria in which he objected that he was deliberately misled by British negotiator and that, the verbal explanation and that of the contract document were at variance. King Lobengula declared that he would “not recognize the paper, as it contains neither my words nor the words of those who got it.” The response from Queen Victoria to King Lobengula was that it was “impossible to exclude white men.”

Soon, the British South Africa Company realized gold was not to be found in commercial quantity. Its outpost in Mashonaland went into financial crises. Land became a more promising venture, and in October 1893 British troops and white volunteers invaded the territory of Matabeleland and inflicted heavy casualties on the Ndebele people. Under the Victoria Agreement, each white volunteer was entitled to 6,000 acres of land. There arose a mad rush and race to grab the best land, and within a year 10,000 square miles of the most fertile land had been seized from its inhabitants. In the process, white settlers confiscated Ndebele’s cattle and devastated the cattle-ranching industry and society of the Ndebeles.

The large tracts of land of the Ndebeles and Shona which was run by relatively few white settlers, required workers, and the Ndebele became forced labourers on the land they once owned and were treated as slaves. The Shona people also saw their cattle confiscated and were driven into poverty through the imposition of awkward taxes by the new British rulers. The uprising that lasted over a year by the dispossessed Ndebele and Shona in 1896 to retrieve their stolen land and cattle was crushed by the British at the cost of 8,000 African lives. The region was subsequently established as a new colony of the British and named Rhodesia in honour of Cecil Rhodes.

In 1899 the Native Reserves Order created reserves on the aridest land, on which the indigenous inhabitants were confined to. By 1905, nearly half of the indigenous population was cramped to the reserves. From 1930 onwards, no African was allowed to own land outside of the barren reserves. Between 1935 and 1955, the Rhodesian regime forced an additional 67,000 African families who were molested and forcefully evacuated at gunpoint from their homes and dumped at the reserves whiles their homes were flattened to the ground.

As the reserves soon became overcrowded with people and cattle, it was decreed by the colonial government in 1944 that 49 of the reserves were overstocked and therefore, well over one million cattle in the reserves were either killed or confiscated for use by white settlers. More Ndebeles and Shonas and other ethnic groups in the reserves were executed and repressed by the Rhodesian Security Forces as the liberation struggle grew increasingly stronger.

The Lancaster House Conference was convened in 1979 as the Rhodesian government was losing grip to maintain its colonial power. Land was the core issue for the liberation struggle, and the British and American negotiators ensured that independence could only come to the natives after imposing the following conditions. There was a provision that stipulated that for a period of 10 years, land ownership in Zimbabwe could only be transferred on a “willing seller, willing buyer” basis, which effectively restricted the extent of land reform. Secondly, settler whites were also allotted a parliamentary quota of 20 seats, far exceeding their actual percentage of the population.

The Beneficiaries of the Coup

President Robert Mugabe’s human weaknesses, as a result of his age, were not the critical factors that instigated the Coup. It only served as a catalyst to mislead the new generations that were not conscious of the Zimbabwean genesis and Mugabe’s legacies.

The land reform policy and disengaging from the IMF to pursue non-liberal market economy were the two major factors that resulted in the long attempted overthrow of the regime. The attempted ‘weaponization’ of the opposition party, MDC, the siege of sponsored pseudo-NGO’s to socially engineer the populace for regime destabilization and change, coupled with several years of economic sanctions by western powers were all attempts made to force Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe to return to a neoliberal economic model in which the interests of Western capital would have primacy over the needs of its people.

For example, on December 21, 2001, President George W. Bush signed into law S. 494, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001. The law directs American officials in international financial institutions to “oppose and vote against any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit, or guarantee to the government of Zimbabwe,” and to vote against any reduction or cancellation of “indebtedness owed by the government of Zimbabwe.”

The law also authorized President Bush to fund “an independent and free press and electronic media in Zimbabwe”. This afforded the US to illegally invade the media space of a sovereign African country to plant media that is opposed to the government of Zimbabwe. Six million dollars was granted for aid to “democracy and governance programs,” a euphemism for groups seeking to topple the government.

After Robert Mugabe survived all these attempts, the Western powers schemed to set his ignorant, and unintelligent wife, Grace Mugabe up for colossal internal damage and disaffection among power-hungry generals and veterans who consider Zimbabwe as their bona fide property and spoils of war.

The agenda of this orchestrated ‘democratic’ coup was not to put Zimbabweans at the centre of governance and economy. It is a fight over Zimbabwean land and rich resources by the West, and the new big player, China.
The coming days of Emmerson Mnangagwa shall be closely observed and analysed.

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By: Kofi B. Kukubor

The writer is a Governance and Policy Analyst

The post The ‘Democratic’ Coup: Lessons from the overthrow of Mugabe [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mnangagwa, the country’s former vice president, swore an oath of office to serve as interim president until a leader is elected at the polls next year. He is expected to contest the election as well.

“I, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, swear that as president of the republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe and obey, uphold and defend the constitution and all other laws of Zimbabwe,” he said.

Tens of thousands of people filled the cavernous National Sports Stadium in the capital, Harare, with African leaders and other dignitaries among them to watch the historic moment.

Known as “The Crocodile” for his political cunning and longevity, Mnangagwa fled the country after Mugabe fired him earlier this month, a dismissal that triggered the political turmoil and an apparent military coup in Harare.

Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday, a day after Mugabe’s resignation, and vowed to take the country into a new era of democracy and to rebuild the economy that rotted under Mugabe’s decades-long iron grip.

But critics have questioned whether Mnangagwa — who is said to have been behind some of Mugabe’s most ruthless policies — is able to bring about reforms and return civil liberties to a people who have been oppressed for so long.

Mnangagwa served as Mugabe’s right-hand man for decades and many Zimbabweans say he represents the status quo.

While working with Mugabe, he headed up the feared intelligence agency as well as the defense and justice ministries during times of state oppression and brutality, and is tainted by accusations of his involvement in the Matebeleland massacres in the 1980s.

“Knowing Emmerson Mnangawa, his character, he will have to work very hard to change his character so that he can define the future of the country and define his future as a democrat, as a reformer. That I doubt,” leader of the main opposition MDC-T, Morgan Tsvangiriai, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.

But Tsvangirai attended the ceremony Friday, in a sign that he may be willing to cooperate with Mnangagwa’s administration.

There was no sign of Robert or Grace Mugabe at the ceremony. Zimbabwe’s state newspaper, The Herald, reported Mugabe may not attend, saying he needed time to rest.

The former president is likely to live out his last days in the comfort of his grand home in Zimbabwe. The couple was granted immunity from prosecution, the military has told CNN. Their safety has been guaranteed and they will be allowed to keep several of their properties.

Grace Mugabe had her own ambitions to take over the presidency. The military, determined to keep her from office, intervened when Mnangagwa was fired, fearing Grace Mugabe’s ascension.

–

Source: CNN

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Government spending and foreign debt are too high and it needs structural reform, Zimbabwe mission chief Gene Leon told Reuters news agency.

The country’s incoming leader Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged to grow the economy and provide “jobs, jobs, jobs”.

The once-thriving economy is now seen as a regional basket case.

“The economic situation in Zimbabwe remains very difficult,” Mr Leon told Reuters.

He said high government spending should be reined in and Zimbabwe should address the large international debt it has defaulted on.

“Immediate action is critical to reduce the deficit to a sustainable level, accelerate structural reforms, and re-engage with the international community to access much needed financial support,” Mr Leon said.

Robert Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe for 37 years, stepped down earlier this week under pressure from the military and his own Zanu-PF party.

His policies, including disastrous land reforms and printing too much money, are blamed for the calamitous state of Zimbabwe’s economy.

On Thursday, Zimbabwe’s main opposition called for deep-rooted political reform to dismantle the repressive apparatus that sustained Mr Mugabe’s regime.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said it was cautiously optimistic that a Mnangagwa presidency would not “mimic and replicate the evil, corrupt, decadent and incompetent Mugabe regime”, reported AFP news agency.

It is unclear whether Zanu-PF will govern alone ahead of scheduled elections next year, or whether a coalition government of national unity that includes opposition groups will be formed.

Economic slide

Zimbabwe’s economy is half the size it was at the turn of the millennium.

Zimbabwe has not had a currency of its own since 2009, when the old Zimbabwean dollar buckled under hyperinflation – which is said to have reached 231 million per cent, worse even than the notorious levels in Germany following World War One.

Cash shortages mean Zimbabweans can often be seen queuing at banks. Economists say Zimbabwe needs a cash injection, but it has been barred from borrowing internationally since it began defaulting on its debt in 1999.

Some residents of the country’s capital, Harare, say they have already seen an improvement in their daily lives since the army came into the streets and Mr Mugabe was forced from office.

One benefit, they say, is the absence of police road blocks on the streets where officers demanded bribes from those travelling around.

“There used to be so many police roadblocks, with the driver having to pay $1 or $2 (75p-£1.50)” Spiwe Azvigumi, 31, an unemployed mother of three, told AFP.

“With the police off the roads, crime is actually down – they were so corrupt and now we are living free.”

–

Source: BBC

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-Source: BBC

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The former Ghanaian President had suggested that Mugabe will be remembered kindly by history.

Mr. Mugabe resigned on Tuesday after an impeachment process was triggered in the country’s Parliament to have him removed from office.

This was followed by Zimbabweans celebrating all over the country, after a letter read out by the country’s Speaker of Parliament conveyed the 93-year-old’s resignation.

Mr. Mugabe’s 37 years as President was notably marked by the mismanagement that wrecked the country amid bouts of instigated ethnic violence against political opponents over the years.

Though hailed as an African independence hero, he is now regarded as despot, having been perceived to have eroded his own legacy.

These facts were not lost on some Zimbabweans, Ghanaians, and other Africans, as Mr. Mahama tweeted: “A sad ending for a liberation hero, a patriot and a great Pan Africanist. I pray the dramatic events of November serve as a reboot for democracy and prosperity in #Zim. History will remember Comrade Mugabe kindly.”

Some of the persons on the ground in Zimbabwe sought to educate Mr. Mahama on the reality in the Southern African state.

These persons were ably backed up by some other watchers on twitter who saw no grace in Mugabe’s 37 years as President.

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By: Delali Adogla Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to him, the transitional government must be tasked to organize an election within the next 6 months to ensure a smooth transition to a substantive government for the country.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Dr. Yaw Gebe said the military must ensure that the transitional government includes members of the ruling party and the opposition, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure that consensus is built on the country’s future.

“I am demanding that there be a transition government. A transition government in the sense that the ruling party and all necessary stakeholders including the opposition party. The military must swiftly put together a commission that will look at these events and look at the way forward.”

“Whatever they decide to do, in the next 6 or more months, organize political elections in that country… The immediate thing that should be done is for them to organize a transition team, of which both the ruling and opposition party must be on board and negotiate and see the way forward, particularly the need to organize an immediate political election,” he said.

SADC failed to intervene

Dr. Gebe said calls for the South African Development Community; the sub-regional body Zimbabwe belongs to, to be invited to supervise processes in Zimbabwe at this time were misplaced.

According to him, the SADC failed to intervene in the country when the brouhaha started gaining momentum.    

“I am not going to allude to the South African Development Community (SADC) [intervening] in this case because all along they have been around and did nothing,” he said.

Other ‘Mugabes’ must listen to the people

He further said other long-serving leaders on the continent who appear to have made a monarchy of the democratic power they had been given to, must listen to their citizens and “do the right thing”.

“We talk about the dying embers of a particular generation of African leaders… Immediate independence era African leaders who believe they have established a monarchy for themselves, they never want to leave the scene…. African leaders must listen to their people and do the right thing.”

Mugabe resigns

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe resigned on Tuesday, the speaker parliament Jacob Mudenda said.

The surprise announcement came as lawmakers debated an impeachment motion against the 93-year-old leader in a joint sitting of parliament.

The lawmakers roared in jubilation and people have begun celebrating in the streets.

Mr. Mugabe had previously refused to resign despite last week’s military takeover and days of protests. What triggered the moves to oust Mr. Mugabe, who is regarded as an African independence hero turned despot, was his dismissal of one of his Vice Presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

That move was seen as an attempt to position Grace Mugabe to continue a Mugabe dynasty of power.

This prompted the military to step in and place Mr. Mugabe under house arrest, in events that stopped short of an outright coup de tat.

Mr. Mugabe had previously refused to resign despite last week’s military takeover and days of protests against him.

The ruling Zanu-PF party has now said former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa will succeed Mr. Mugabe.

Robert Mugabe has been president of Zimbabwe for 37 years, and was among the longest-serving presidents on the continent.

Other longest serving African leaders include Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Paul Biya of Cameroon, and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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