Ousted Zimbabwean vice president
Emmerson Mnangagwa added his voice on Tuesday to those demanding 93-year-old
President Mugabe resign, saying he needed to heed the “clarion call” of his
people and step down.
Mnangagwa, who said he fled
Zimbabwe because of a threat to his life after being purged from the ruling
party, said he had been in contact with Mugabe and invited to return but would
not do so until his personal security could be guaranteed.
“I told the President that I
would not return home now until I am satisfied of my personal security, because
of the manner and treatment given to me upon being fired,” he said in a
statement.
Mugabe faces the start of
impeachment proceedings on Tuesday that could see him ousted within the week,
against the backdrop of a military takeover dubbed “Operation Restore Legacy”.
The ruling ZANU-PF party plans to
bring the impeachment motion in parliament, after a Monday noon deadline
expired for the besieged 93-year-old leader to resign and bring the curtain
down on nearly four decades in power.
Impeachment would be an
ignominious end to the career of the “Grand Old Man” of African politics, once
lauded as an anti-colonial hero and the only leader Zimbabwe has known since it
gained independence from Britain in 1980.
Mugabe has so far shown no signs
of stepping down and has called for the weekly cabinet meeting to take place as
usual on Tuesday.
It would be the first time
ministers sit down with him since the military took power on Wednesday.
In the draft impeachment motion,
ZANU-PF, which expelled Mugabe from the party on Sunday, accused him of being a
“source of instability”, flouting the rule of law and presiding over an
“unprecedented economic tailspin” in the last 15 years.
It also said he had abused his
constitutional mandate to favour his unpopular wife Grace, 52, whose tilt at
power triggered the backlash from the army that brought tanks onto the streets
of the capital.
The military operation was
launched after Mugabe sacked Mnangagwa, in a move meant to boost Grace’s
chances of succeeding her husband.
Zimbabwe’s top general said on
Monday talks were planned between Mugabe and Mnangagwa, who was expected back
in the country soon.
Gen. Constantino Chiwenga also
revealed that the army’s intervention was codenamed “Operation Restore Legacy”
and was progressing well.
It has been marked by unexpected
twists and turns.
On Saturday, hundreds of
thousands took to the streets of Harare to celebrate the impending downfall of
Mugabe, accused by critics of retaining power through terror and
election-rigging and of running a once-vibrant economy into the ground.
They expected him to resign
within hours. Instead Mugabe dashed their hopes with a bizarre and rambling
televised address on Sunday night in which he made no mention of his own fate.
Since last week, Mugabe has been
confined to his lavish “Blue Roof” residence in Harare, apart from two trips to
State House to meet the generals and one to a university graduation ceremony at
which he appeared to fall asleep.
Grace, known as “Gucci Grace” for
her alleged fondness for extravagant shopping sprees, and at least two senior
members of her “G40” political faction are believed to be holed up in the same
compound.
Her stark reversal of fortune was
underscored on Monday when the state-run Herald newspaper – which in August
proclaimed her “A loving mother of the nation” – ran a piece headlined “Youth
League slams ‘uncultured’ First Lady.”
“Grace Mugabe lacked grooming and
true motherhood as shown by her foul language,” the paper quoted the ZANU-PF’s
youth wing as saying.
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