President Robert Mugabe last night agreed to step down. A
new government is to be formed within 48 hours, a twitter handle claiming to be
speaking on behalf of the provisional government of Zimbabwe said.
Mugabe will then
proceed on exile to South Africa. Fresh elections will be held in the spring of
2018 once order and peace have been established. The likely presidential
election date is April 18, 2018, Zimbabwe’s independence day.
“The structure of
government will remain the same under the provisional government of Zimbabwe.
However, the introduction of new posts, such as ‘prime minister’ are being
negotiated. “The new, provisional government of Zimbabwe will be formed within
the next 48 hours. It is likely that vice presidential posts will remain
vacant. Comrade R.G Mugabe is not going to be prosecuted for his actions and
crimes throughout his tenure as Prime Minister (1980–1987) and President of the
republic (1987–2017). He has accepted H.E Jacob Zuma’s offer and will depart to
South Africa after the resignation.
“Mugabe is
currently negotiating with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The provisional
government will soon address the nation to update you all with the current
situation.” Mugabe’s wife Grace and two
key figures from her G40 political faction are under house arrest at Mugabe’s
“Blue House” compound in Harare and are insisting the 93-year-old finishes his
presidential term, a source said. The G40 figures are cabinet ministers
Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere, who fled to the compound after their
homes were attacked by troops in Tuesday night’s coup, the source,
who said he had spoken to people inside the compound, said.
Zimbabwean intelligence reports seen by Reuters suggest that
former security chief Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was ousted as vice-president this
month, has been mapping out a post-Mugabe vision with the military and
opposition for more than a year. Fuelling speculation that that plan might be
rolling into action, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been
receiving cancer treatment in Britain and South Africa, returned to Harare
late on Wednesday, his spokesman said. He urged President Mugabe to resign
in the interest of the country.
“In the interest
of the people, Robert Mugabe must resign and step down immediately,”
Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, told a news
conference, reading from a statement. The opposition called for the
intermediate installation of an interim government. “At the moment the transitional
government is the best way to go,” said Douglas Mwonzora, Secretary-General of
Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party. “We back the military move but the country should
quickly go back a constitutional government.” Armoured vehicles that were
stationed at key government buildings during the political upheaval on
Wednesday remained in place. The soldiers appeared relaxed, even smiling
and chatting with onlookers. Most people were going about their daily business
and children went to school.
Special envoys sent
by South African President Jacob Zuma were holding discussions on Mugabe’s fate
with Zimbabwe’s leaders. Officials from the Southern African Development
Community were also meeting in Botswana’s capital Gaborone yesterday to discuss
the situation in Zimbabwe. “What is needed is an inclusive government to run
the affairs of Zimbabwe until a time it is right to have elections,” said
Didymus Mutasa, a long-time minister in Mugabe’s government, who was fired in
2014 for backing Joice Mujuru as the president’s successor. Jacob Mafume, a
spokesman of the People’s Democratic Party led by Tendai Biti, said that any
interim government “should be inclusive of all the stakeholders, including the
church and all parties.”
While the army
has said Mugabe is safe, there were mixed reports in the media about his wife
Grace Mugabe’s whereabouts, with some saying she had fled the country. Speculation
had been growing before the coup that 52-year-old Grace was preparing to take
over from her husband. The potential ascendency appears to have faced
resistance from senior military officials. There was an uneasy calm on the
streets of Harare, after initial jubilation on Wednesday when the
army announced it had seized control from Mugabe.
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