Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Nicknamed “the Crocodile” for his ruthlessness, Emmerson Mnangagwa who will take over as Zimbabwe’s next president, is a hardliner with ties to the military who could prove as authoritarian as his mentor Robert Mugabe. It was his political ambition to take over which set off …
Read More »Mnangagwa: More of the same for suffering Zimbabwe?
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Even before Robert Mugabe’s resignation, many Zimbabweans tempered their yearning for his downfall with the knowledge that his likely successor has a similar reputation for brutality and corruption. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who until recently was one of Mugabe’s longest-serving and closest allies, will be sworn in …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s next leader says post-Mugabe era is ‘full democracy’
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa told adoring crowds in Harare on Wednesday that they were witnessing “unfolding full democracy” as he returned to take power after Robert Mugabe stepped down after 37 years in power. It was his first public speech since Mugabe fired him …
Read More »Why push is increasingly shove in African regime change
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Regime change in Africa may not guarantee greater democracy but, as Robert Mugabe’s downfall shows, patience for autocrats who overstay their welcome is wearing ever thinner, experts say. After 37 years of outmanoeuvring his political enemies, Mugabe was finally cornered on Tuesday and handed in …
Read More »Zimbabweans celebrate in S. Africa years after fleeing Mugabe
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Hundreds of Zimbabweans who fled their homeland for South Africa during the despotic rule of Robert Mugabe took to the streets of Johannesburg to celebrate the resignation of the hated president. Blowing vuvuzelas, waving Zimbabwean flags and stamping their feet, Zimbabweans danced their way …
Read More »Mugabe: the last of Africa’s ‘fathers of independence’
Paris, France | AFP | Robert Mugabe, who resigned as Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday, was the last living African head of state to have fought for his country’s independence before becoming its leader. Mugabe, 93, had used his aura of liberator from a colonial power to stay in power but had …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s former vice president to return home: aide
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa will return home on Wednesday, more than two weeks after fleeing the country following his ouster by Robert Mugabe, his aide said. Mugabe resigned as president on Tuesday, swept from power as his 37 years authoritarian rule crumbled within …
Read More »Zimbabwe awaits new leader after Mugabe’s shock exit
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabweans waited Wednesday to discover when their new leader would be appointed after president Robert Mugabe’s resignation brought a sudden end to a 37-year reign of authoritarian rule. Mugabe’s tenure ended in an announcement at a special joint session of parliament where MPs had convened …
Read More »Free speech in Zimbabwe parliament after 37 years of oppression
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | The Zimbabwean parliament did not have time to vote for Robert Mugabe’s dismissal — because the president had already resigned. But this extraordinary session served as an outlet for elected officials, who took the opportunity to denounce the excesses of his authoritarian regime. On this …
Read More »Britain offers help for Zimbabwe after Mugabe ‘oppression’
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May said Robert Mugabe’s resignation on Tuesday gave Zimbabwe “an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule,” and declared Britain stood ready to help. “In recent days we have seen the desire of the …
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