11/19/2017 Chaos in Zimbabwe after Mugabe fails to announce expected resignation | World news | The Guardian

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Chaos in Zimbabwe after Mugabe fails

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Jason Burke Africa correspondent and Emma Graham­Harrison in Harare
Sunday 19 November 2017 20.07 GMT

Zimbabwe’s ongoing crisis descended into outright chaos on Sunday after president Robert
Mugabe failed to announce his resignation as widely expected in a national address on live television.
Instead, in a rambling 30 minute address, Mugabe offered no concessions to his critics, the tens of
thousands who marched calling for his resignation or the army commanders who led the military
takeover last week.
Instead, the 93-year-old autocrat said that “we cannot be guided by
Live Robert Mugabe bitterness or revengefulness which would not makes us any better
stuns Zimbabwe by ... Zimbabweans” and said that he would preside over a special
failing to quit in congress of the ruling Zanu-PF party scheduled for next month –
suggesting he has no immediate intention of stepping down.
televised address – live
Mugabe, who repeatedly cited the legacy of Zimbabwe’s brutal
President addresses the nation
liberations wars of the 1970s, said he believed that the military
after ruling party Zanu-PF gives
“operation” launched last Tuesday by army commanders was
him a deadline of noon on
Monday to resign or face
motivated by “a deep patriotic concern for the stability of the
impeachment nation” and “did not amount to a threat to our well-cherished
constitutional order”.
  Read more “I am aware that many developments have occurred in the party,
given the failings of the past, and anger they might have triggered
in some quarters .... [but] I am confident that from tonight our whole nation will put shoulder to the
wheel,” Mugabe said.

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11/19/2017 Chaos in Zimbabwe after Mugabe fails to announce expected resignation | World news | The Guardian

Earlier in the day, the veteran leader, who has been in power for 37 years, was sacked as leader of the
Zanu-PF and told by 200 of the party’s top officials gathered at an extraordinary meeting in Harare to
resign as head of state or face impeachment when parliament reconvenes on Tuesday.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice-president whose sacking 13 days ago led to the military takeover,
was appointed interim leader of the party.
Mnangagwa is widely expected to take over from Mugabe as president.
The moves by Zanu-PF follows huge demonstrations in citiesacross
Analysis This is the country on Saturday demanding Mugabe leave power. His
redistribution for refusal to go plunges the country into deep uncertainty.
Zimbabwe’s elite, not The leader of Zimbabwe’s influential war veterans said plans for
revolution in a ruined impeachment would go ahead as scheduled.
nation
Chris Mutsvangwa, who has been leading a campaign to oust
Comrade Bob and Grace may go, Mugabe, told Reuters in a text message moments after Mugabe
but little good will come if power finished his speech that people would take to the streets of Harare
is retained in the hands of Zanu- on Wednesday.
PF septuagenarians
Observers say Mugabe may hope to oblige the military to depose
him by force, which could theoretically trigger an intervention by
  Read more
regional powers.
The South African Development Community (SADC), headed by South Africa, is to meet in Angola on
Tuesday to discuss the situation.
Last week the SADC called for a “constitutional” solution to the crisis, which was understood by some
to be a call for the military to allow Mugabe to serve out his current electoral mandate as president.
According to sources close to the military, the president, who has been kept under house arrest in his
sprawling residence in Harare, wants to be allowed to remain in power until elections scheduled for
next summer are held.
The military has said it has no intention of taking permanent control of government but has indicated
it does not want to leave Mugabe in office.
An array of senior commanders sat beside Mugabe as he made his speech. General Constantino
Chiwenga, the general who led the takeover, turned the president’s pages as he speak. Many looked
stunned when Mugabe finished his speech saying “Thank you, good night.”
A microphone caught later muffled comments from the elderly leader referring to either a “long” or a
“wrong” speech, leading to speculation that Mugabe may have deliberately or otherwise omitted
pages or read content that varied substantially from that reportedly cleared with the military high
command.
Zimbabweans who gathered at a bar in the capital to celebrate
Mugabe’s expected announcement of his resignation said they were
frustrated.
One named Nyasha said: “I would be happy for him despite
everything he has done to leave with dignity and just walk away. ...
He is so stubborn.”

Zanu-PF hopes of a Earlier in the day Zanu-PF delegates had broken into cheers, song
and dance when the motion was passed, removing Mugabe as the
'new era' confounded head of the party and appointing Mnangagwa to replace him.
by Mugabe's failure to
The 200 or so members of the central committee leapt to their feet,
resign many singing Mnangagwa’s name.

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11/19/2017 Chaos in Zimbabwe after Mugabe fails to announce expected resignation | World news | The Guardian

“This is the day that is defining the new birth and development of
  Read more
our country,” said Mike Madiro, chairman of one of the provincial
party branches that had formally set Mugabe’s dethroning in
motion.
Zanu-PF also expelled Grace Mugabe, the divisive first lady, and 20 of her closest associates.
The military commanders claim last week’s takeover was necessary to remove “criminals” close to the
president, a reference to Grace Mugabe and her “G40” faction.
The purge has in effect decimated the group and underlines the degree to which the overthrow of
Mugabe’s 37-year rule has been driven more by competition for power within the Zanu-PF than
popular anger at a dictatorial and corrupt regime.
Mugabe made some references to internal divisions in his speech, saying: “The way forward cannot
be based on vying cliques that ride roughshod over rules and procedures.”
“The party constitution must apply in all situations and to all members ... victimisation and arbitrary
decisions must be put behind.
“The party must have older players and newer entrants through a well defined sense of hierarchy.
These matters will be discussed at forthcoming congress. I will preside over the congress processes.”
Grace Mugabe, 52, has not been seen since the takeover. Sources told the Guardian she was in her
husband’s Harare residence when he was detained on Tuesday and had not moved since.
Since taking power, the military has arrested about a dozen senior
Analysis How Mugabe's officials and ministers. Several remain detained. Two senior
reign over Zimbabwe politicians close to the first lady are believed to have taken refuge
became a byword for with their families in the president’s residence on the night of the
military takeover.
misrule
Few options are now open to Mugabe, who ruled
Many blame him for the
Zimbabwethrough a mixture of coercion, bribery and revolutionary
economic chaos and political
rhetoric, beyond playing for time. Support in some branches of the
repression, but the truth of his
security establishment – such as the police – has evaporated.
descent from freedom fighter to
dictator is not quite so black and Army commanders have long had good relations with Mnangagwa,
white a former intelligence chief and veteran Zanu-PF official who was
responsible for the repression of opposition parties in successive
  Read more elections between 2000 and 2008.
Opposition leaders in Zimbabwe have called for the formation of an inclusive transitional
government but risk being sidelined by the powerful army and Zanu-PF.
There are also concerns that the military will maintain significant influence in the future.
“The ruling party have allowed the military to taste political power [and] … We have to expect some
role of the armed forces to continue for some time,” said Martin Rupiya, a former Zimbabwean army
general.
Knox Chitiyo, of London’s Chatham House, said it was a “momentous time”.
“There is no question that there is a huge element of faction score settling in this but that has
inadvertently triggered a military-guided popular revolt. The military are being held up as the
liberators of the country. But it remains to be seen how long that will be the case,” Chitiyo said.

Since you’re here …

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11/19/2017 Chaos in Zimbabwe after Mugabe fails to announce expected resignation | World news | The Guardian

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Topics
Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe Africa news
 
 
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