We all thought that Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe would resign on Sunday. After all, the military takeover occurred last week and his party, Zanu-PF, ousted him as party leader. They then said he had 24 hours to resign or face impeachment.
Mugabe gave an insufferable speech on Sunday without resigning, which met impeachment. The dictator must have thought everyone was bluffing. To his disappointment, they meant every word and began impeachment proceedings.
Mugabe swallowed his pride and finally resigned, ending a 37 year reign. He had been the world’s oldest leader at 93-years-old.
The parliament started the impeachment on Tuesday after the 24 hour deadline passed for Mugabe to step down. He finally saw the light. From The New York Times:
Then on Tuesday, party members introduced a motion of impeachment, invoking a constitutional process that had never before been tested.The party’s political rival, the Movement for Democratic Change, seconded the motion, a striking sign of the consensus in the political class that Mr. Mugabe must go — one that formed with astonishing speed after the military took Mr. Mugabe into custody last Wednesday.Lawmakers had moved their gathering from Parliament to a large conference hall at a hotel and were discussing the impeachment motion when Mr. Mugabe’s justice minister, Happyton Bonyongwe, walked up to the stage.
Some people freaked out because they thought Bonyongwe was trying to bribe people to vote against impeachment. Instead, he handed the speaker a letter from Mugabe.
From ENCA:
The Honourable Jacob MudendaNotice of resignation as President of the Republic of ZimbabweIn terms of the provisions of section 96 (1) of the constitution of Zimbabwe, amendment number 20, 2013.Following my verbal communication with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda at 13:53 hours, 21st November, 2017 intimating my intention to resign as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, I Robert Gabriel Mugabe in terms of section 96 (1) of the constitution of Zimbabwe hereby formally tender my resignation as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe with immediate effect.My decision to resign is voluntary on my part and arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire to ensure a smooth, peaceful and non-violent transfer of power that underpins national security, peace and stability.Kindly give public notice of my resignation as soon as possible as required by section 96 (1) of the constitution of Zimbabwe.Yours faithfully,Robert Gabriel Mugabe President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans broke out into a party on the street now that the dictator and his wife they reviled finally stepped down.
Yeah, um, Ferragamo shows cost between $600 to $2000.
Like I said it began last week when the military took over. They were not pleased when Mugabe sacked Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, which paved the way for his wife, who everyone hates, Grace to succeed him when he died. From The Guardian:
But there are others who have been sidelined. Senior soldiers fear they will suffer if Grace and her associates take over. They also believe she will be corrupt, vindictive and incompetent, and know that the first lady’s violent outbursts and extravagance – as well as that of her entourage and sons – have already made her very unpopular.The soldiers are also concerned about a further massive deterioration of the economy. Inflation and the collapse of the Zimbabwean currency has already impoverished many rank and file soldiers, and hit the incomes of officers too. The wages of the millions of government employees – troops, police, civil servants and others – often go unpaid for months on end. This means the seizure of power today will be greeted by many with relief, if not enthusiasm.
Then the military said it had prepared itself “to step in to end the turmoil in the ruling Zanu-PF party.” General Constatine Chiwenga recently went to China, Zimbabwe’s closest ally, to meet with military leaders. China did not confirm if they talked with Chiwenga about a military takeover.
Last Monday, Chiwenga announced that leave for the defense forces had been canceled:
The situation in our country has moved to another level … To members of the Zimbabwe defence forces, all leave is cancelled and you are all to return to your barracks with immediate effect …Let it be clear we intend to address the human security threats in our country. Therefore, any provocation will be met with an appropriate response.
The Guardian reported that Mnangagwa has returned to Zimbabwe. Grace is reportedly abroad, but that has not been confirmed.
The military kept Mugabe under house arrest.
After the party ousted Mugabe, rumors swirled that the dictator planned to resign after giving the ultimatum. But instead he gave a long winded speech or something like that, which included a page turn that took 10 years, to assert his power. I’m guessing he was just trying to call their bluff.
But no, the people had enough of the dictator and his wife that ruined the country and his numerous human rights violations.
Those who led his opposition promised to go through the impeachment process, especially since the ruling party was finally on their side. The minority party has tried to impeach Mugabe before, but the Zanu-PF members resisted.
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