Displaying items by tag: Robert Mugabe

Vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa had been expected to succeed his lifelong political partner, Robert Mugabe, but he was sacked, supposedly so that Mugabe’s wife could succeed him instead. On 10 November Mnangagwa threatened to lead a popular revolt to remove Mugabe from leadership of the ZANU-PF. Three days later General Chiwenga, Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said he was prepared to ‘step in’ to end the ‘elimination’ of Mnangagwa followers. On 15 November explosions were heard in the night, soldiers seized the ZBC broadcasting station, and military vehicles appeared on the streets. This dramatic outcome of an internal party squabble could turn into a political takeover; opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has returned to Zimbabwe, while Mugabe and his family are under house arrest. At the time of writing Mugabe's biggest rivals and other ministers are gathering in Harare as concerns grow for the country. Zimbabwe needs change. Inflation rises by 50% a month, and imported food is scarce. See also

The Archdiocese of Harare issued a statement after the armed forces had taken over. The general secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Rev Kenneth Mtata, called on politicians and social leaders to rebuild a broken society. ‘The current situation was inevitable. We had reached a point of no return. Our politics of attrition and toxic public engagement have had their logical conclusion.’ His statement echoed one made earlier by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Council of Churches in which they described the country’s politics as ‘poisonous,’ and accused Mugabe of stifling political dissent. Mtata said, ‘Our hope is that we can put the train back on the rails of democracy and citizenship engagement.’ The fragmented society is a result of failures to deal with the hurts of the past, and the political system not allowing everyone to have an opportunity.