Zimbabwe&rsquo;s parliament began an impeachment process against President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday that looks set to bring his domination of a country he has ruled since independence nearly four decades ago to an ignominious end.

In the last week, Mugabe has clung on in the face of a collapse of his authority and a Monday deadline to quit.

The army seized power a week ago and there have been mass protests against him and calls to resign from many sides including on Tuesday from the ruling party&rsquo;s favourite to succeed him <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ousted-zimbabwe-deputy-president-asks-mugabe-to-resign-24737" target="_blank">Emmerson Mnangagwa</a>.

Parliament Speaker Jacob Mudenda said he received a motion to impeach and the parliament would adjourn for a hotel to start the proceedings on Tuesday afternoon. Zimbabwean law says a joint sitting can take place anywhere. Thousands of people demonstrated outside parliament urging Mugabe to quit.

Mugabe led Zimbabwe&rsquo;s liberation war and is hailed as one of Africa&rsquo;s founding fathers and a staunch supporter of the drive to free neighbouring South Africa from apartheid in 1994.

But many people in Africa and beyond also say he has damaged Zimbabwe&rsquo;s economy, democracy, and judiciary by staying in power for too long and has used violence to crush perceived political opponents.

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from British rule in 1980

Zimbabwe’s parliament began an impeachment process against President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday that looks set to bring his domination of a country he has ruled since independence nearly four decades ago to an ignominious end. In the last week, Mugabe has clung on in the face of a collapse of his authority and a Monday deadline to quit. The army seized power a week ago and there have been mass protests against him and calls to resign from many sides including on Tuesday from the ruling party’s favourite to succeed him Emmerson Mnangagwa. Parliament Speaker Jacob Mudenda said he received a motion to impeach and the parliament would adjourn for a hotel to start the proceedings on Tuesday afternoon. Zimbabwean law says a joint sitting can take place anywhere. Thousands of people demonstrated outside parliament urging Mugabe to quit. Mugabe led Zimbabwe’s liberation war and is hailed as one of Africa’s founding fathers and a staunch supporter of the drive to free neighbouring South Africa from apartheid in 1994. But many people in Africa and beyond also say he has damaged Zimbabwe’s economy, democracy, and judiciary by staying in power for too long and has used violence to crush perceived political opponents.

Zimbabwe's parliament starts impeachment process against Mugabe

Most Zimbabwean ministers stayed away from a cabinet meeting on Tuesday called by embattled President Robert Mugabe, who is facing impeachment proceedings, state media reported.

&quot;Cabinet meeting called this morning by President Mugabe failed to take off after Ministers snubbed the sitting,&quot; the state-run Herald news site reported.

Lawmakers of Mugabe&#39;s once-loyal ZANU-PF party were to meet parliamentarians from other parties at 1215 GMT to trigger proceedings that could see the president stripped of office.

The cabinet snub piled further pressure on the embattled president after Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president whose removal by Mugabe sparked the military intervention last week, earlier said he would consider returning to Zimbabwe if his safety was guaranteed.

A&nbsp;bubbling factional squabble over the presidential succession erupted two weeks ago when Mugabe fired Mnangagwa.

The dismissal put Mugabe&#39;s wife Grace in prime position to succeed her 93-year-old husband, prompting the military to step in to block her path to the presidency.

'Cabinet meeting called this morning by President Mugabe failed to take off after Ministers snubbed the sitting,' the state-run Herald news site reported

Most Zimbabwean ministers stayed away from a cabinet meeting on Tuesday called by embattled President Robert Mugabe, who is facing impeachment proceedings, state media reported. "Cabinet meeting called this morning by President Mugabe failed to take off after Ministers snubbed the sitting," the state-run Herald news site reported. Lawmakers of Mugabe's once-loyal ZANU-PF party were to meet parliamentarians from other parties at 1215 GMT to trigger proceedings that could see the president stripped of office. The cabinet snub piled further pressure on the embattled president after Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president whose removal by Mugabe sparked the military intervention last week, earlier said he would consider returning to Zimbabwe if his safety was guaranteed. A bubbling factional squabble over the presidential succession erupted two weeks ago when Mugabe fired Mnangagwa. The dismissal put Mugabe's wife Grace in prime position to succeed her 93-year-old husband, prompting the military to step in to block her path to the presidency.

Most ministers boycott cabinet meeting called by Mugabe

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe&#39;s letter of resignation has been drafted, CNN reported Monday.&nbsp;

Reuters had reported two government sources as saying late Sunday that Mugabe had agreed to resign.&nbsp;

CNN reported that under the terms of Mugabe&#39;s agreement with the army, he&nbsp;and his wife would be granted full immunity.&nbsp;

CNN was quoting a source familiar with the negotiations between Mugabe and the army.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Under the terms of his agreement with the army, Mugabe and his wife will be granted full immunity

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's letter of resignation has been drafted, CNN reported Monday. Reuters had reported two government sources as saying late Sunday that Mugabe had agreed to resign. CNN reported that under the terms of Mugabe's agreement with the army, he and his wife would be granted full immunity. CNN was quoting a source familiar with the negotiations between Mugabe and the army.

Mugabe's resignation letter drafted: Report

Soon after Zimbabwe&rsquo;s army confined President Robert Mugabe to his palatial Harare home this week &ndash; allegedly for his safety &ndash; it was announced in Luanda that Angola&rsquo;s new President, Jo&atilde;o Louren&ccedil;o, had relieved Isabel dos Santos of her position as head of the state-run oil company Sonangol.

While there may not be any direct connection between these two events, they suggest some intriguing comparisons. In both countries, ruling families seem to have failed to secure themselves in power.

When Mugabe, as leader of the Zimbabwean African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), became ruler of Zimbabwe at independence in April 1980, Jos&eacute; Eduardo dos Santos was already President of Angola. He had succeeded to that position after the death of Agostinho Neto in September 1979.

Dos Santos had to deal with external intervention and over two decades of civil war, during which he ruled dictatorially. Mugabe, despite a facade of constitutionalism and regular elections, also became increasingly dictatorial. He abandoned adherence to the rule of law and his country&rsquo;s economy collapsed. Angola became notorious for the scale of the corruption linked especially to its oil riches. Zimbabwe went from bread-basket to basket-case. With the great majority of the people of both countries living in dire poverty, Dos Santos flew to Europe when he needed medical attention, while Mugabe went to Singapore.

Though Dos Santos was probably as reluctant as Mugabe to give up power, he decided to quit as president of the country and try to retain influence through the ruling party and members of his family. Mugabe tried to impose his wife on his party as his chosen successor and then to cling on to his positions even when the army took effective control of his country.

Given recent developments in Luanda and Harare, it would seem that neither of these two old men have succeeded in securing their family dynasties.

Dos Santos&rsquo;s succession plan

By 2016, suffering health problems that took him to Spain for treatment, Dos Santos announced that he would step down as president of Angola and he approved his Minister of Defence, Jo&atilde;o Manuel Gon&ccedil;alves Louren&ccedil;o as his successor.

Following the victory of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the general election held in August this year, Louren&ccedil;o took over as president in September. But Dos Santos remained president of the MPLA, and clearly expected Louren&ccedil;o to look after his interests and that of his family, who had become enormously wealthy.

From the action Louren&ccedil;o has now taken against Dos Santos&rsquo; billionaire daughter Isabel, it would seem that he&rsquo;s becoming his own man. It appears he wishes to distance himself from the Dos Santos family, which for many Angolans is associated with corruption on a vast scale.

The London-educated Isabel has proved herself to be a very capable businesswoman, and though the Angolan economy has been suffering because of low oil prices, on top of massive corruption, it&rsquo;s unlikely she was sacked to bring in a better chief executive to run the country&rsquo;s most important state-owned company. There is talk in Luanda that Isabel&rsquo;s brother, Jos&eacute; Filomeno dos Santos, will be relieved of his position as head of the country&rsquo;s large Sovereign Wealth Fund and that his father, the former president of the country, will be replaced as president of the ruling party, though that may have to wait until a party congress is held.

Mugabe&rsquo;s succession plan

In Zimbabwe Mugabe has sought to arrange that his wife will succeed him. But Gucci Grace and Robert made the mistake of trying to ensure this by firing Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Though at the time of writing, the 93-year-old Mugabe remains president both of the country and of the ruling Zanu-PF party, it&rsquo;s widely expected that he will soon be relieved of both positions, probably by Mnangagwa, with the assistance of the army.

Changes for the better?

New leadership in Angola and Zimbabwe will have an impact on the region as a whole.

Given Mnangagwa&rsquo;s record as a long-serving member of the government in Zimbabwe and his involvement in the mass killing of Ndebele in the early 1980s, it is hardly likely that he will emerge as a champion of democracy.

In Angola, Louren&ccedil;o is still finding his feet as head of government.

It is therefore unrealistic to hope that either country will soon move from decades of repressive rule and lack of transparency to greater constitutionalism and closer adherence to the rule of law.

But if we are witnessing the end of an era in which dictators stayed in power for decades and tried to secure their continuing influence through their families, and if we are seeing the diminishing importance of liberation movements turned political party, this must be good not only for Angola and Zimbabwe but for the southern African region as a whole.

It should also hold lessons for those who rule in neighbouring countries.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/mugabe-and-dos-santos-africas-old-men-seem-finally-to-be-fading-away-87689" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

The end of an era in which dictators like Mugabe and Dos Santos stayed in power for decades, is good not only for Angola and Zimbabwe but for southern Africa as a whole

Soon after Zimbabwe’s army confined President Robert Mugabe to his palatial Harare home this week – allegedly for his safety – it was announced in Luanda that Angola’s new President, João Lourenço, had relieved Isabel dos Santos of her position as head of the state-run oil company Sonangol. While there may not be any direct connection between these two events, they suggest some intriguing comparisons. In both countries, ruling families seem to have failed to secure themselves in power. When Mugabe, as leader of the Zimbabwean African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), became ruler of Zimbabwe at independence in April 1980, José Eduardo dos Santos was already President of Angola. He had succeeded to that position after the death of Agostinho Neto in September 1979. Dos Santos had to deal with external intervention and over two decades of civil war, during which he ruled dictatorially. Mugabe, despite a facade of constitutionalism and regular elections, also became increasingly dictatorial. He abandoned adherence to the rule of law and his country’s economy collapsed. Angola became notorious for the scale of the corruption linked especially to its oil riches. Zimbabwe went from bread-basket to basket-case. With the great majority of the people of both countries living in dire poverty, Dos Santos flew to Europe when he needed medical attention, while Mugabe went to Singapore. Though Dos Santos was probably as reluctant as Mugabe to give up power, he decided to quit as president of the country and try to retain influence through the ruling party and members of his family. Mugabe tried to impose his wife on his party as his chosen successor and then to cling on to his positions even when the army took effective control of his country. Given recent developments in Luanda and Harare, it would seem that neither of these two old men have succeeded in securing their family dynasties. Dos Santos’s succession plan By 2016, suffering health problems that took him to Spain for treatment, Dos Santos announced that he would step down as president of Angola and he approved his Minister of Defence, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço as his successor. Following the victory of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the general election held in August this year, Lourenço took over as president in September. But Dos Santos remained president of the MPLA, and clearly expected Lourenço to look after his interests and that of his family, who had become enormously wealthy. From the action Lourenço has now taken against Dos Santos’ billionaire daughter Isabel, it would seem that he’s becoming his own man. It appears he wishes to distance himself from the Dos Santos family, which for many Angolans is associated with corruption on a vast scale. The London-educated Isabel has proved herself to be a very capable businesswoman, and though the Angolan economy has been suffering because of low oil prices, on top of massive corruption, it’s unlikely she was sacked to bring in a better chief executive to run the country’s most important state-owned company. There is talk in Luanda that Isabel’s brother, José Filomeno dos Santos, will be relieved of his position as head of the country’s large Sovereign Wealth Fund and that his father, the former president of the country, will be replaced as president of the ruling party, though that may have to wait until a party congress is held. Mugabe’s succession plan In Zimbabwe Mugabe has sought to arrange that his wife will succeed him. But Gucci Grace and Robert made the mistake of trying to ensure this by firing Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Though at the time of writing, the 93-year-old Mugabe remains president both of the country and of the ruling Zanu-PF party, it’s widely expected that he will soon be relieved of both positions, probably by Mnangagwa, with the assistance of the army. Changes for the better? New leadership in Angola and Zimbabwe will have an impact on the region as a whole. Given Mnangagwa’s record as a long-serving member of the government in Zimbabwe and his involvement in the mass killing of Ndebele in the early 1980s, it is hardly likely that he will emerge as a champion of democracy. In Angola, Lourenço is still finding his feet as head of government. It is therefore unrealistic to hope that either country will soon move from decades of repressive rule and lack of transparency to greater constitutionalism and closer adherence to the rule of law. But if we are witnessing the end of an era in which dictators stayed in power for decades and tried to secure their continuing influence through their families, and if we are seeing the diminishing importance of liberation movements turned political party, this must be good not only for Angola and Zimbabwe but for the southern African region as a whole. It should also hold lessons for those who rule in neighbouring countries. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Mugabe and Dos Santos: No place for dictators in Africa

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/end-nears-for-mugabe-as-ruling-party-turns-against-him-24584">Robert Mugabe refused to step down</a> during a national TV address surprising the nation who expected the 93-year-old president to resign.

During the speech, Mugabe said he would be presiding over the Congress which opens in a few weeks even as pressure from his own party and the Army reportedly made no impact on the Zimbabwe leader.

The (ruling ZANU-PF) party congress is due in a few weeks and I will preside over its processes,&quot; Mugabe said during the television address.

&quot;The operation I have alluded to did not amount to a threat to our well-cherished constitutional order nor did it challenge my authority as head of state, not even as commander-in-chief,&quot; he said.

&quot;Whatever the pros and cons of how they (the army) went about their operation, I... do acknowledge their concerns,&quot; said Mugabe.

Zimbabwe&#39;s war veterans association which had backed the president during his years in power called for protests on Sunday&nbsp;as a stunned nation listened to Mugabe&#39;s speech, some even wept openly.

&quot;We must learn to forgive and resolve contradictions, real or perceived, in a comradely Zimbabwean spirit,&quot; the president said.

&quot;That speech has nothing to do with realities. We will go for impeachment and we are calling people back to the streets,&quot; Chris Mutsvangwa, head of the war veterans association, told AFP.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe&#39;s ruling ZANU-PF brought back &nbsp;Emmerson Mnangagwa in the party declaring he was now the leader of the party.

Mugabe&#39;s wife Grace expelled from the party on Sunday. People danced openly on the streets in Harare but the crisis over Mugabe&#39;s defiant stand continued to stir the political climate in the African country.

During the speech, Mugabe said he would be presiding over the Congress which opens in a few weeks

Robert Mugabe refused to step down during a national TV address surprising the nation who expected the 93-year-old president to resign. During the speech, Mugabe said he would be presiding over the Congress which opens in a few weeks even as pressure from his own party and the Army reportedly made no impact on the Zimbabwe leader. The (ruling ZANU-PF) party congress is due in a few weeks and I will preside over its processes," Mugabe said during the television address. "The operation I have alluded to did not amount to a threat to our well-cherished constitutional order nor did it challenge my authority as head of state, not even as commander-in-chief," he said. "Whatever the pros and cons of how they (the army) went about their operation, I... do acknowledge their concerns," said Mugabe. Zimbabwe's war veterans association which had backed the president during his years in power called for protests on Sunday as a stunned nation listened to Mugabe's speech, some even wept openly. "We must learn to forgive and resolve contradictions, real or perceived, in a comradely Zimbabwean spirit," the president said. "That speech has nothing to do with realities. We will go for impeachment and we are calling people back to the streets," Chris Mutsvangwa, head of the war veterans association, told AFP. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF brought back Emmerson Mnangagwa in the party declaring he was now the leader of the party. Mugabe's wife Grace expelled from the party on Sunday. People danced openly on the streets in Harare but the crisis over Mugabe's defiant stand continued to stir the political climate in the African country.

Defiant Mugabe refuses to step down in TV speech

Zimbabwe&#39;s ruling ZANU-PF party will launch the parliamentary process on Tuesday for impeaching President Robert Mugabe, a government lawmaker told AFP.&nbsp;

The decision on Monday came after Mugabe missed a deadline to resign given to him by his party over the weekend.&nbsp;

Once a simple majority of parliamentarians vote for impeachment, an investigative committee is formed by lawmakers, who report back to both houses of parliament. Each house must then vote by a two-thirds majority for him to be stripped of office.

&quot;We are expecting the motion to be over (Tuesday),&quot; said ZANU-PF lawmaker Paul Mangwana, referring to the initial procedure to commence impeachment proceedings.

He added that ZANU-PF had approached the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party to seek their cooperation to pass the necessary parliamentary votes.

In a televised address late Sunday, the 93-year-old veteran leader defied expectations he would quit, pitching the country into a second week of political crisis.

The speech provoked anger and disbelief among many Zimbabweans, fuelling concerns that Mugabe could face a violent backlash.

Zimbabwe&#39;s crisis erupted on November 13 after a factional squabble over the presidential succession erupted into the open prompting the army to seize power. 
&nbsp;

The decision on Monday came after Mugabe missed a deadline to resign given to him by his party over the weekend

Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party will launch the parliamentary process on Tuesday for impeaching President Robert Mugabe, a government lawmaker told AFP. The decision on Monday came after Mugabe missed a deadline to resign given to him by his party over the weekend. Once a simple majority of parliamentarians vote for impeachment, an investigative committee is formed by lawmakers, who report back to both houses of parliament. Each house must then vote by a two-thirds majority for him to be stripped of office. "We are expecting the motion to be over (Tuesday)," said ZANU-PF lawmaker Paul Mangwana, referring to the initial procedure to commence impeachment proceedings. He added that ZANU-PF had approached the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party to seek their cooperation to pass the necessary parliamentary votes. In a televised address late Sunday, the 93-year-old veteran leader defied expectations he would quit, pitching the country into a second week of political crisis. The speech provoked anger and disbelief among many Zimbabweans, fuelling concerns that Mugabe could face a violent backlash. Zimbabwe's crisis erupted on November 13 after a factional squabble over the presidential succession erupted into the open prompting the army to seize power.

Mugabe's party to launch impeachment process Tuesday: MP

President Robert Mugabe faced the imminent collapse of his 37-year regime Sunday, with the once-loyal ZANU-PF party set to sack him as its leader and army generals piling pressure on him to resign.

Mugabe&#39;s grip on power was broken last week when the military took over after his wife Grace emerged as the leading candidate to succeed the 93-year-old president, who is the world&#39;s oldest head of state.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters flooded the streets of Zimbabwe in peaceful celebrations marking the apparent end of his long and authoritarian rule.

&quot;We meet here today with a heavy heart,&quot; party official Obert Mpofu told the ZANU-PF meeting in Harare on Sunday, referring to Mugabe as &quot;the outgoing president&quot;.

&quot;(Mugabe&#39;s) wife and close associates have taken advantage of his frail condition to usurp power and loot state resources,&quot; he said.

&quot;Our people are demanding... the recall of the president and first secretary of ZANU-PF from his position in the party.&quot;

Mugabe remains in office but now faces overwhelming opposition from the generals, much of the Zimbabwean public and from his own party.

The influential ZANU-PF Youth League on Sunday reversed its previous devotion to Mugabe, saying that he must resign and Grace must be expelled from the party.

Army chiefs who led the takeover were due to hold further talks with the president later Sunday.

Historic week

The two sides first met on Thursday, smiling in photographs that attempted to present a dignified image of the tense process of negotiating Mugabe&#39;s departure.

Veterans of the independence war -- who were also formerly key Mugabe allies -- added their voice in support of him resigning, demanding that he leave office on Sunday.&nbsp;

Zimbabweans have experienced a historic week in which the military seized power and put Mugabe under house arrest in response to his sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, chief rival of Mugabe&#39;s powerful 52-year-old wife Grace.

On Saturday, in scenes of public euphoria not seen since Zimbabwe&#39;s independence in 1980, huge crowds marched and sang their way through Harare and other cities.

The demonstrations included citizens of all ages, jubilant that Mugabe appeared to be on his way out.

In central Harare, a group of young men tore down a green metal street sign bearing Robert Mugabe&#39;s name and smashed it repeatedly on the road.

Such open dissent would have just a week ago would have been routinely crushed by security forces.

Peace, jobs, a normal life

&quot;What you saw yesterday, it shows that the people have spoken,&quot; Mordecai Makore, 71, a retired teacher told AFP after attending Sunday morning service at the Catholic cathedral in central Harare.

&quot;All we want is peace, a good life with a working economy that creates jobs for our people. We will continue praying for that. I want my children and grandchildren to live a normal good life.&quot;

The majority of Zimbabweans have only known life under Mugabe&#39;s rule, which has been defined by violent suppression, economic collapse and international isolation.

Sources suggest Mugabe has been battling to delay to his exit and to secure a deal guaranteeing future protection for him and his family.

He attended a university graduation ceremony on Friday, in a show of defiance at the talks with General Constantino Chiwenga, who led the military power grab.

The succession race that triggered Zimbabwe&#39;s sudden crisis was between party hardliner Mnangagwa -- known as the Crocodile -- and a group called &quot;Generation 40&quot; or &quot;G40&quot; because its members are generally younger, which campaigned for Grace&#39;s cause.

&quot;She is very acceptable. Very much accepted by the people,&quot; Mugabe said of Grace in a faltering interview to mark his 93rd birthday last February.

The president, who is feted in parts of Africa as the continent&#39;s last surviving liberation leader, is increasingly fragile health, but previously said he would stand in elections next year that could see him remain in power until aged nearly 100.

He became prime minister on Zimbabwe&#39;s independence from Britain in 1980 and then president in 1987.

Zimbabwe&#39;s economic output has halved since 2000 when many white-owned farms were seized, leaving the key agricultural sector in ruins.

 
&nbsp;

Nine of the 10 regional branches of the ZANU-PF party have called for the 93-year-old president to go

President Robert Mugabe faced the imminent collapse of his 37-year regime Sunday, with the once-loyal ZANU-PF party set to sack him as its leader and army generals piling pressure on him to resign. Mugabe's grip on power was broken last week when the military took over after his wife Grace emerged as the leading candidate to succeed the 93-year-old president, who is the world's oldest head of state. On Saturday, tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters flooded the streets of Zimbabwe in peaceful celebrations marking the apparent end of his long and authoritarian rule. "We meet here today with a heavy heart," party official Obert Mpofu told the ZANU-PF meeting in Harare on Sunday, referring to Mugabe as "the outgoing president". "(Mugabe's) wife and close associates have taken advantage of his frail condition to usurp power and loot state resources," he said. "Our people are demanding... the recall of the president and first secretary of ZANU-PF from his position in the party." Mugabe remains in office but now faces overwhelming opposition from the generals, much of the Zimbabwean public and from his own party. The influential ZANU-PF Youth League on Sunday reversed its previous devotion to Mugabe, saying that he must resign and Grace must be expelled from the party. Army chiefs who led the takeover were due to hold further talks with the president later Sunday. Historic week The two sides first met on Thursday, smiling in photographs that attempted to present a dignified image of the tense process of negotiating Mugabe's departure. Veterans of the independence war -- who were also formerly key Mugabe allies -- added their voice in support of him resigning, demanding that he leave office on Sunday. Zimbabweans have experienced a historic week in which the military seized power and put Mugabe under house arrest in response to his sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, chief rival of Mugabe's powerful 52-year-old wife Grace. On Saturday, in scenes of public euphoria not seen since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, huge crowds marched and sang their way through Harare and other cities. The demonstrations included citizens of all ages, jubilant that Mugabe appeared to be on his way out. In central Harare, a group of young men tore down a green metal street sign bearing Robert Mugabe's name and smashed it repeatedly on the road. Such open dissent would have just a week ago would have been routinely crushed by security forces. Peace, jobs, a normal life "What you saw yesterday, it shows that the people have spoken," Mordecai Makore, 71, a retired teacher told AFP after attending Sunday morning service at the Catholic cathedral in central Harare. "All we want is peace, a good life with a working economy that creates jobs for our people. We will continue praying for that. I want my children and grandchildren to live a normal good life." The majority of Zimbabweans have only known life under Mugabe's rule, which has been defined by violent suppression, economic collapse and international isolation. Sources suggest Mugabe has been battling to delay to his exit and to secure a deal guaranteeing future protection for him and his family. He attended a university graduation ceremony on Friday, in a show of defiance at the talks with General Constantino Chiwenga, who led the military power grab. The succession race that triggered Zimbabwe's sudden crisis was between party hardliner Mnangagwa -- known as the Crocodile -- and a group called "Generation 40" or "G40" because its members are generally younger, which campaigned for Grace's cause. "She is very acceptable. Very much accepted by the people," Mugabe said of Grace in a faltering interview to mark his 93rd birthday last February. The president, who is feted in parts of Africa as the continent's last surviving liberation leader, is increasingly fragile health, but previously said he would stand in elections next year that could see him remain in power until aged nearly 100. He became prime minister on Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980 and then president in 1987. Zimbabwe's economic output has halved since 2000 when many white-owned farms were seized, leaving the key agricultural sector in ruins.

End nears for Mugabe as ruling party turns against him

Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans on Saturday poured into the streets of the capital Harare to celebrate the military&rsquo;s takeover of the government and add their voices to growing calls for President Robert Mugabe to resign.

Waving placards with messages such as &quot;Mugabe must go&quot; and &quot;No to Mugabe dynasty,&quot; the jubilant Zimbabweans, some dancing, singing and honking cars, braved the chilly weather and flooded the streets to participate in the demonstration.

Thousands were marching to the State House while others headed to Zimbabwe Grounds, the venue of yet another pro-resignation rally that was organized by the influential Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association.

&quot;Zimbabwe is breaking with the past. We are shaping a new future, a new Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans. We are united as Zimbabweans to say Mugabe must go, Mugabe must go and give this country an opportunity to shape a new future,&quot; said Arthur Mutambara, former deputy prime minister.

Zimbabwean flags were waved with optimism for a brighter future.

&quot;We are tired of staying at home with nothing to do. We are looking forward to a new government that can create opportunities for us because we have been to school, but we have nothing do with that education,&quot; said a protester.

The march and rally have both been backed by the military, however, they emphasized that the rally should be peaceful and orderly.

The war veterans association invited citizens from across the country&#39;s political divide to attend the rally and participate in the march.

As Zimbabweans are celebrating in the streets waiting for Mugabe&#39;s eventual downfall, the ruling ZANU-PF party has called for the resignation of the president as well, warning that if the 93-year-old leader refuses to step down the party will recall him.

All the 10 provinces of the party have endorsed Mugabe&#39;s resignation. The party&#39;s provinces are also calling for the reinstatement of former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was fired by Mugabe last week.

The party has also called for the convening of a special central committee meeting within 48 hours to re-align the party with revised development goals

Waving placards with messages such as "Mugabe must go" and "No to Mugabe dynasty," the jubilant Zimbabweans, some dancing, singing and honking cars, braved the chilly weather and flooded the streets to participate in the demonstration.

Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans on Saturday poured into the streets of the capital Harare to celebrate the military’s takeover of the government and add their voices to growing calls for President Robert Mugabe to resign. Waving placards with messages such as "Mugabe must go" and "No to Mugabe dynasty," the jubilant Zimbabweans, some dancing, singing and honking cars, braved the chilly weather and flooded the streets to participate in the demonstration. Thousands were marching to the State House while others headed to Zimbabwe Grounds, the venue of yet another pro-resignation rally that was organized by the influential Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association. "Zimbabwe is breaking with the past. We are shaping a new future, a new Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans. We are united as Zimbabweans to say Mugabe must go, Mugabe must go and give this country an opportunity to shape a new future," said Arthur Mutambara, former deputy prime minister. Zimbabwean flags were waved with optimism for a brighter future. "We are tired of staying at home with nothing to do. We are looking forward to a new government that can create opportunities for us because we have been to school, but we have nothing do with that education," said a protester. The march and rally have both been backed by the military, however, they emphasized that the rally should be peaceful and orderly. The war veterans association invited citizens from across the country's political divide to attend the rally and participate in the march. As Zimbabweans are celebrating in the streets waiting for Mugabe's eventual downfall, the ruling ZANU-PF party has called for the resignation of the president as well, warning that if the 93-year-old leader refuses to step down the party will recall him. All the 10 provinces of the party have endorsed Mugabe's resignation. The party's provinces are also calling for the reinstatement of former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was fired by Mugabe last week. The party has also called for the convening of a special central committee meeting within 48 hours to re-align the party with revised development goals

Thousands rally to demand President Mugabe's resignation

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/party-set-to-sack-mugabe-zimbabweans-celebrate-expected-downfall-24539" target="_blank">Party set to sack Mugabe, Zimbabweans celebrate expected downfall</a>

Zimbabwe&#39;s ruling party will dismiss President Robert Mugabe on Sunday and reinstate Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice-president he fired, two party sources told Reuters on Saturday, as ecstatic crowds celebrated the expected downfall. Mugabe&#39;s 37-year rule has been effectively at an end since the army seized control on Wednesday, confining him to his residence, saying it wanted to target the &quot;criminals&quot; around him.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/your-boss-silencing-you-rahul-gandhi-asks-nirmala-sitharaman-24541" target="_blank">Your boss silencing you is &#39;shameful&#39;: Rahul Gandhi to Nirmala Sitharaman</a>

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday&nbsp;hit back at Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the multi-crore Rafale deal, claiming it was &quot;shameful&quot; that her boss was &quot;silencing&quot; her. Mr Gandhi&#39;s retort comes a day after Ms Sitharaman alleged that it was shameful on part of the Congress to raise objections on the fighter aircraft deal. He also asked her whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken permission from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) before announcing the purchase of the Rafale fighter aircraft in Paris.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-pm-manmohan-singh-to-get-indira-gandhi-peace-prize-24545" target="_blank">Former prime minister Manmohan Singh to get Indira Gandhi peace prize</a>

&quot;The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is awarded to Manmohan Singh for his leadership of the country and his achievements during the momentous 10 years from 2004 to 2014, for his contributions to the cause of economic and social development, for improving India&#39;s stature in the world and its relationship with the neighbours and the leading nations of the world, and for his dedication to the security and well being of ordinary citizens regardless of their faith, caste, region or language,&quot; a statement from the Trust&#39;s secretary Suman Dubey said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-to-be-made-congress-president-before-december-5-sources-to-wion-24527" target="_blank">Rahul Gandhi to be made Congress President before December 5: Sources to WION</a>

Sources also said that the elevation is not going to be delayed any further. The CWC is expected to adopt the resolution to make Rahul Gandhi Congress president on Monday which would subsequently be ratified by the All India Congress Committee. As per the rules of the Congress constitution,&nbsp;the final ratification has to be done by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmavati-row-vasundhara-raje-asks-smriti-irani-for-changes-in-film-24535" target="_blank">&#39;Padmavati&#39; row: Vasundhara Raje asks Smriti Irani for changes in film</a>

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has written to Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani requesting her that the film &quot;Padmavati&quot; should not be released until some changes are made to it so that it &quot;does not hurt the sentiments of any community&quot;. In her letter, the Rajasthan chief minister has suggested that a committee should be formed to discuss the film and its plot and should suggest amendments.&nbsp;

Party set to sack Mugabe, Zimbabweans celebrate expected downfall Zimbabwe's ruling party will dismiss President Robert Mugabe on Sunday and reinstate Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice-president he fired, two party sources told Reuters on Saturday, as ecstatic crowds celebrated the expected downfall. Mugabe's 37-year rule has been effectively at an end since the army seized control on Wednesday, confining him to his residence, saying it wanted to target the "criminals" around him. Your boss silencing you is 'shameful': Rahul Gandhi to Nirmala Sitharaman Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit back at Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the multi-crore Rafale deal, claiming it was "shameful" that her boss was "silencing" her. Mr Gandhi's retort comes a day after Ms Sitharaman alleged that it was shameful on part of the Congress to raise objections on the fighter aircraft deal. He also asked her whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken permission from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) before announcing the purchase of the Rafale fighter aircraft in Paris. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh to get Indira Gandhi peace prize "The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is awarded to Manmohan Singh for his leadership of the country and his achievements during the momentous 10 years from 2004 to 2014, for his contributions to the cause of economic and social development, for improving India's stature in the world and its relationship with the neighbours and the leading nations of the world, and for his dedication to the security and well being of ordinary citizens regardless of their faith, caste, region or language," a statement from the Trust's secretary Suman Dubey said. Rahul Gandhi to be made Congress President before December 5: Sources to WION Sources also said that the elevation is not going to be delayed any further. The CWC is expected to adopt the resolution to make Rahul Gandhi Congress president on Monday which would subsequently be ratified by the All India Congress Committee. As per the rules of the Congress constitution, the final ratification has to be done by the All India Congress Committee (AICC). 'Padmavati' row: Vasundhara Raje asks Smriti Irani for changes in film Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has written to Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani requesting her that the film "Padmavati" should not be released until some changes are made to it so that it "does not hurt the sentiments of any community". In her letter, the Rajasthan chief minister has suggested that a committee should be formed to discuss the film and its plot and should suggest amendments.

WION Morning News Brief, November 19, 2017

The tide seemed to be turning against embattled President Robert Mugabe on Saturday as thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets in rallies sanctioned by the army to call for him to go.

Soldiers whipped-up crowds of anti-Mugabe marchers into a frenzy of cheering and dancing in downtown Harare, flanked by the tanks and armoured personnel carriers used by the generals to seize control earlier this week.

&quot;We are happy our soldiers stood with us, the people. They must finish the good job to make sure Mugabe goes. We have been suffering,&quot; said one of those in the euphoric crowd, Baliwe Sibanda.

&quot;We are so happy they freed us from the Mugabe dynasty.&quot;

Demonstrators in the city centre swigged from beer bottles and danced in the road as the protest took on a carnival atmosphere.

Zimbabweans were intially stunned when the army seized control on Tuesday apparently over fears Mugabe was laying the foundations for his wife Grace to take power after he abruptly fired his vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

But that shock has turned to joy for many Zimbabweans -- the majority of whom have only known life under Mugabe&#39;s rule which has been defined by violent suppression, economic collapse and international isolation.

&#39;Glad Mugabe is going&#39;&nbsp;

&quot;Just look at the crowds here... Finally we can hope to have jobs when I finish university,&quot; said Tafadzwa Musarurwa, a 22-year-old social studies student at the University of Zimbabwe who marched in the central business district.

Nearby a group of young men tore down a green metal street sign bearing Robert Mugabe&#39;s name and smashed it repeatedly on the road before trampling it under foot.

Ten kilometres (six miles) away in the blue-collar Highfield suburb of Harare, as many as 10,000 protesters gathered at a vast sports field to voice their opposition to Mugabe.

The march, organised by veterans of Zimbabwe&#39;s independence war who were once ferociously loyal to the autocratic leader but now back Mnangagwa, was deeply symbolic.

Highfield was where Mugabe gave his first speech after returning from exile in Mozambique ahead of independence in 1980.

&quot;This is a great day for us. For 37 years we have had nothing to show for participating in the liberation war while his family were living it large,&quot; said Sonia Kandemiri, a 59-year-old veteran of the campaign against white-rule.

The growing momentum against Mugabe appeared to have transcended demographic barriers with white and Indian Zimbabweans joining members of the country&#39;s Shona and Ndebele communities for the mass gathering.

&quot;I am glad that Mugabe is going during my lifetime. He is the source of every problem in our beautiful country,&quot; said Irene Douglas, 67, a former farmer whose land was confiscated during Mugabe&#39;s ruinous farm seizure programme from the year 2000.

Several past members of Mugabe&#39;s government including former vice president Joice Mujuru and ex-finance minister Patrick Chinamasa also attended the protest.

Morris Craig, a 49-year-old computer programmer who brandished the Zimbabwean flag, said it was &quot;good people are here&quot;.

&quot;The suffering of the people must end,&quot; he said as the crowd began to march to Mugabe&#39;s opulent private residence, known as the Blue Roof.

 
&nbsp;

The tide seemed to be turning against embattled President Robert Mugabe on Saturday as thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets in rallies sanctioned by the army to call for him to go

The tide seemed to be turning against embattled President Robert Mugabe on Saturday as thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets in rallies sanctioned by the army to call for him to go. Soldiers whipped-up crowds of anti-Mugabe marchers into a frenzy of cheering and dancing in downtown Harare, flanked by the tanks and armoured personnel carriers used by the generals to seize control earlier this week. "We are happy our soldiers stood with us, the people. They must finish the good job to make sure Mugabe goes. We have been suffering," said one of those in the euphoric crowd, Baliwe Sibanda. "We are so happy they freed us from the Mugabe dynasty." Demonstrators in the city centre swigged from beer bottles and danced in the road as the protest took on a carnival atmosphere. Zimbabweans were intially stunned when the army seized control on Tuesday apparently over fears Mugabe was laying the foundations for his wife Grace to take power after he abruptly fired his vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa. But that shock has turned to joy for many Zimbabweans -- the majority of whom have only known life under Mugabe's rule which has been defined by violent suppression, economic collapse and international isolation. 'Glad Mugabe is going' "Just look at the crowds here... Finally we can hope to have jobs when I finish university," said Tafadzwa Musarurwa, a 22-year-old social studies student at the University of Zimbabwe who marched in the central business district. Nearby a group of young men tore down a green metal street sign bearing Robert Mugabe's name and smashed it repeatedly on the road before trampling it under foot. Ten kilometres (six miles) away in the blue-collar Highfield suburb of Harare, as many as 10,000 protesters gathered at a vast sports field to voice their opposition to Mugabe. The march, organised by veterans of Zimbabwe's independence war who were once ferociously loyal to the autocratic leader but now back Mnangagwa, was deeply symbolic. Highfield was where Mugabe gave his first speech after returning from exile in Mozambique ahead of independence in 1980. "This is a great day for us. For 37 years we have had nothing to show for participating in the liberation war while his family were living it large," said Sonia Kandemiri, a 59-year-old veteran of the campaign against white-rule. The growing momentum against Mugabe appeared to have transcended demographic barriers with white and Indian Zimbabweans joining members of the country's Shona and Ndebele communities for the mass gathering. "I am glad that Mugabe is going during my lifetime. He is the source of every problem in our beautiful country," said Irene Douglas, 67, a former farmer whose land was confiscated during Mugabe's ruinous farm seizure programme from the year 2000. Several past members of Mugabe's government including former vice president Joice Mujuru and ex-finance minister Patrick Chinamasa also attended the protest. Morris Craig, a 49-year-old computer programmer who brandished the Zimbabwean flag, said it was "good people are here". "The suffering of the people must end," he said as the crowd began to march to Mugabe's opulent private residence, known as the Blue Roof.

Zimbabweans unite to demand that Mugabe quit

Buses left Zimbabwe&#39;s second city, Bulawayo on Friday night (November 17) carrying jubilant supporters of a military seizure seeking to remove<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pushes-for-trade-talks-to-solve-north-ireland-border-issue-24446"> President Mugabe </a>from power.

People danced and sang songs about the country&#39;s future without Mugabe as they boarded buses.

Inside one bus, travellers gestured with their hands to show the snap of a crocodile - nickname of Emerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week as vice president sparked the army action.

Mugabe, at Zimbabwe&#39;s helm since independence from Britain in 1980, faces the starkest challenge ever to his rule after the army seized power on Wednesday (November 15), saying it was targeting &quot;criminals&quot; around the nonagenarian leader.

People danced and sang songs about the country's future without Mugabe as they boarded buses

Buses left Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo on Friday night (November 17) carrying jubilant supporters of a military seizure seeking to remove President Mugabe from power. People danced and sang songs about the country's future without Mugabe as they boarded buses. Inside one bus, travellers gestured with their hands to show the snap of a crocodile - nickname of Emerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week as vice president sparked the army action. Mugabe, at Zimbabwe's helm since independence from Britain in 1980, faces the starkest challenge ever to his rule after the army seized power on Wednesday (November 15), saying it was targeting "criminals" around the nonagenarian leader.

Zimbabweans ready for rally calling for Mugabe to resign

Zimbabwe&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mugabe-defiant-amid-mounting-pressure-to-step-down-from-his-party-24484">President&nbsp;Robert Mugabe&nbsp;</a>appeared in public on Friday for the first time since the army took charge, as the ruling party made plans to force him to step down after more than three decades in power.

The president, who is 93, opened a graduation ceremony at Zimbabwe Open University in Harare. He wore blue and yellow academic robes and a mortar board hat and appeared to fall asleep in his chair as his eyes closed and his head lolled. 
 
Mugabe led the country&#39;s liberation struggle and has dominated its politics since independence in 1980 but this week&#39;s army takeover signals the collapse of his authority despite his insistence he remains in charge. 
 
A senior member of the ZANU-PF ruling party said it wanted him gone. &quot;If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday,&quot; the source said.

&quot;When that is done, it&#39;s impeachment on Tuesday.&quot; In contrast, the military said in a statement on national television it was &quot;engaging&quot; with Mugabe. It referred to him as commander-in-chief and said it would announce an outcome as soon as possible.

The ruling ZANU-PF party has called for a mass meeting in the capital on Saturday to show its support for the War Veterans group in their bid to remove Mugabe.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pushes-for-trade-talks-to-solve-north-ireland-border-issue-24446" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Mugabe makes first public appearance since army takeover</a>

The army appears to want him to go quietly and allow a transition to Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week as vice-president triggered the takeover. A goal of the generals is to prevent

Mugabe handing power to his wife, Grace, who appeared on the cusp of power after Mnangagwa was pushed out.

Zimbabwe&#39;s official newspaper, the Herald, ran photographs late on Thursday showing Mugabe grinning and shaking hands with military chief General Constantino Chiwenga, who seized power this week.

The images stunned Zimbabweans who said it meant Mugabe was managing to hold out against Chiwenga&#39;s coup. Some political sources said he was trying to delay his departure until elections scheduled for next year.

The ZANU-PF source said that was not the case. Anxious to avoid a protracted stalemate, party leaders were drawing up plans to dismiss Mugabe at the weekend if he refused to quit, the source said.

&quot;There is no going back,&quot; the source said. The army is camped on his doorstep. Grace Mugabe is under house arrest and her key political allies are in military custody. The police, once a bastion of support, have shown no signs of resistance.

Mugabe led the country's liberation struggle and has dominated its politics since independence in 1980 but this week's army takeover signals the collapse of his authority despite his insistence he remains in charge.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe appeared in public on Friday for the first time since the army took charge, as the ruling party made plans to force him to step down after more than three decades in power. The president, who is 93, opened a graduation ceremony at Zimbabwe Open University in Harare. He wore blue and yellow academic robes and a mortar board hat and appeared to fall asleep in his chair as his eyes closed and his head lolled. Mugabe led the country's liberation struggle and has dominated its politics since independence in 1980 but this week's army takeover signals the collapse of his authority despite his insistence he remains in charge. A senior member of the ZANU-PF ruling party said it wanted him gone. "If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday," the source said. "When that is done, it's impeachment on Tuesday." In contrast, the military said in a statement on national television it was "engaging" with Mugabe. It referred to him as commander-in-chief and said it would announce an outcome as soon as possible. The ruling ZANU-PF party has called for a mass meeting in the capital on Saturday to show its support for the War Veterans group in their bid to remove Mugabe. Also read: Mugabe makes first public appearance since army takeover The army appears to want him to go quietly and allow a transition to Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week as vice-president triggered the takeover. A goal of the generals is to prevent Mugabe handing power to his wife, Grace, who appeared on the cusp of power after Mnangagwa was pushed out. Zimbabwe's official newspaper, the Herald, ran photographs late on Thursday showing Mugabe grinning and shaking hands with military chief General Constantino Chiwenga, who seized power this week. The images stunned Zimbabweans who said it meant Mugabe was managing to hold out against Chiwenga's coup. Some political sources said he was trying to delay his departure until elections scheduled for next year. The ZANU-PF source said that was not the case. Anxious to avoid a protracted stalemate, party leaders were drawing up plans to dismiss Mugabe at the weekend if he refused to quit, the source said. "There is no going back," the source said. The army is camped on his doorstep. Grace Mugabe is under house arrest and her key political allies are in military custody. The police, once a bastion of support, have shown no signs of resistance.

Zimbabwe: Party to sack Mugabe on Sunday if he doesn't go

Zimbabwe soldiers blocked thousands of protesters as they tried to march on embattled President Robert Mugabe&#39;s official residence in Harare on Saturday, a&nbsp;correspondent on the scene said.

The demonstrators, participating in nationwide protests calling for the 93-year-old veteran leader to step aside after the army took power earlier this week, staged a sit-down protest in the road after being halted by the troops.

The crowd got within 200 metres (220 yards) of the gates to the complex that has been the nerve centre of Mugabe&#39;s authoritarian rule, as large protests swept through the capital.

&quot;This is not fair. Why are the soldiers preventing us to march to State House?&quot; Rutendo Maisiri, an unemployed 26-year-old woman said. &quot;It is wrong. We will stay put.&quot;

Zimbabwe soldiers blocked thousands of protesters as they tried to march on embattled President Robert Mugabe's official residence in Harare on Saturday

Zimbabwe soldiers blocked thousands of protesters as they tried to march on embattled President Robert Mugabe's official residence in Harare on Saturday, a correspondent on the scene said. The demonstrators, participating in nationwide protests calling for the 93-year-old veteran leader to step aside after the army took power earlier this week, staged a sit-down protest in the road after being halted by the troops. The crowd got within 200 metres (220 yards) of the gates to the complex that has been the nerve centre of Mugabe's authoritarian rule, as large protests swept through the capital. "This is not fair. Why are the soldiers preventing us to march to State House?" Rutendo Maisiri, an unemployed 26-year-old woman said. "It is wrong. We will stay put."

Zimbabwe army stops crowd marching on Mugabe's official home

President Robert Mugabe attended a university graduation ceremony on Friday, making his first public appearance since military generals took control of Zimbabwe earlier this week.

In a display of defiance, Mugabe, 93, arrived at the ceremony in the capital Harare, dressed in a blue academic gown and tasselled hat, an AFP correspondent reported.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-says-progress-made-in-ending-zimbabwe-crisis-24452" target="_blank">Army says progress made in ending Zimbabwe crisis</a>

The generals took over late on Tuesday after vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was sacked and Mugabe&#39;s wife Grace emerged in prime position to succeed her increasingly frail husband.

Zimbabwe was left stunned by the military intervention sparked by the bitter succession battle between Grace and Mnangagwa, 75.

Analysts say the military leadership was strongly opposed to Grace&#39;s rise, while Mnangagwa has close ties to the defence establishment.

Mugabe and the army chiefs held talks on Friday as the takeover appeared to signal his imminent exit from office after 37 years in power since Zimbabwe won independence from Britain in 1980.

Mnangagwa, who is a leading candidate to succeed Mugabe, flew back to Harare on Thursday after fleeing the country when he was sacked last week.

Mugabe attended a university graduation ceremony on Friday

President Robert Mugabe attended a university graduation ceremony on Friday, making his first public appearance since military generals took control of Zimbabwe earlier this week. In a display of defiance, Mugabe, 93, arrived at the ceremony in the capital Harare, dressed in a blue academic gown and tasselled hat, an AFP correspondent reported. Army says progress made in ending Zimbabwe crisis The generals took over late on Tuesday after vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was sacked and Mugabe's wife Grace emerged in prime position to succeed her increasingly frail husband. Zimbabwe was left stunned by the military intervention sparked by the bitter succession battle between Grace and Mnangagwa, 75. Analysts say the military leadership was strongly opposed to Grace's rise, while Mnangagwa has close ties to the defence establishment. Mugabe and the army chiefs held talks on Friday as the takeover appeared to signal his imminent exit from office after 37 years in power since Zimbabwe won independence from Britain in 1980. Mnangagwa, who is a leading candidate to succeed Mugabe, flew back to Harare on Thursday after fleeing the country when he was sacked last week.

Mugabe makes first public appearance since army takeover

For decades, Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe in a ruthless, even reckless manner. Over nearly 40 years, he turned the &ldquo;jewel of Africa&rdquo; into an economic basket case that&rsquo;s seen inflation of up to 800 percent.

Then, late in the night of Nov. 14, the country&rsquo;s security services detained and put Zimbabwe&rsquo;s 93-year-old president under house arrest in what appeared to be a military coup. The whereabouts of his powerful wife, Grace, are unconfirmed.

Much remains unclear at this early stage. Will violence erupt? Is this really the end of the Mugabe era?

I don&rsquo;t know the answers to those questions yet. I&rsquo;m not sure even Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, who appears to have orchestrated Mugabe&rsquo;s overthrow, knows how his gambit will turn out.

But with each passing hour, it is increasingly evident that Zimbabwe &ndash; a country whose politics I spent uncountable hours grappling with as a State Department official &ndash; is poised to see its first real leadership transition since 1980.

Setting the stage for Zimbabwe&rsquo;s coup

For decades, Mugabe&rsquo;s grip on Zimbabwe was iron-clad. Even when challenged by an invigorated opposition in 2008, he kept the presidency by entering into a nominal power-sharing agreement. After a decisive electoral victory in 2013, though, he cast the coalition aside.

But as the elderly president grew increasingly frail this year, the power struggle to succeed him became frenzied. Two major camps were vying for power.

Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, who as a soldier fighting for Zimbabwe&rsquo;s liberation earned the nickname &ldquo;the crocodile,&rdquo; represented the old guard. The 75-year-old enjoyed strong military backing, particularly from the veterans&rsquo; association, a powerful coalition of former combatants from Zimbabwe&rsquo;s independence struggle which began in 1964 and ended in 1979.

Last year, the group broke with Mugabe in a public letter, declaring that he had &ldquo;presided over unbridled corruption and downright mismanagement of the economy, leading to national economic ruin.&rdquo; Many believed that Vice President Mnangagwa orchestrated the group&rsquo;s letter as a shot across the bow to warn would-be rivals.

The second camp jockeying to control Zimbabwe before the coup was led by Mugabe&rsquo;s current wife, Grace Mugabe. At a relatively spry 53, she represented the younger generation, drawing significant support from the ruling party&rsquo;s loyalist Youth League and from an informal grouping of emerging leaders known as &ldquo;Generation 40.&rdquo;

But Grace Mugabe was deeply unpopular among ordinary Zimbabweans, who called her &ldquo;Gucci Grace&rdquo; because of her extravagant spending. Plus, she had a reputation for cruelty. Earlier this year, the president&rsquo;s wife faced accusations of beating a 20-year old South African model with an electric cable.

In September, after Vice President Mnangagwa was emergency airlifted to South Africa due to a strange illness, Grace Mugabe had to publicly deny, on state TV, that she had poisoned her rival.

As recently as early November, it appeared that Grace&rsquo;s camp had prevailed. President Mugabe sacked Mnangagwa, who fled to South Africa. Mnangagwa, it seems, had a different plan. While in exile, he stayed in touch with his military allies.

On Nov. 14, Mnangagwa&rsquo;s camp struck back. By the next morning, Mugabe was under house arrest, his wife had reportedly fled to Namibia seeking asylum and Mnangagwa&rsquo;s cohort appeared to control the country.

Democracy or dictatorship?

At least, that&rsquo;s the picture right now. Events have moved swiftly in the last 24 hours, and some big questions remain unanswered.

If Mnangagwa officially takes power, the first unknown is whether he will rule by fiat or cobble together a transitional government. It&rsquo;s unclear whether Mnanangwa and his allies have any real interest in introducing democracy to Zimbabwe. To do so, they would need to hold an election within a reasonable period of time, say six months.

Military coups don&rsquo;t have a promising track record of ushering in democracy. Recent scholarship finds that while &ldquo;democratisation coups&rdquo; have become more frequent worldwide, their most common outcome is to replace an incumbent dictatorship with a &ldquo;different group of autocrats.&rdquo;

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Soldiers patrol the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe&rsquo;s capital, after a military coup d&#39;etat against president Robert Mugabe. (AP)
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Signals in Zimbabwe are mixed so far. Experts generally describe the latest developments as &ldquo;an internecine fight&rdquo; among inner-circle elites and ask two key questions: Which side will prevail, and will violence break out?

In my assessment, the answers hinge on Mnangagwa, a hard-nosed realist and survivor who was critical in securing Mugabe&rsquo;s four-decade rule. Mnangagwa has an appalling human rights record. Many consider him responsible for overseeing a series of massacres between 1982 and 1986 known as the &ldquo;Gukurahundi,&rdquo; in which an estimated 20,000 civilians from the Ndebele ethnic group perished.

More recently, in 2008, civil society groups accused Mnangagwa of orchestrating electoral violence against the political opposition and rigging polls in Mugabe&rsquo;s favour.

It is also true that Mnangagwa is massively invested in ensuring his continued and unfettered access to power, which has proven highly lucrative for him. The vice president is &ldquo;reputed&rdquo; to be one of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s richest people. All of this suggests he might become yet another dictator.

&lsquo;Unity&rsquo; for Zimbabwe?

Nonetheless, reports indicate that Mnangagwa is currently talking to several opposition parties about potentially forming a transitional government.

A key stakeholder in any such arrangement would be Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change, who served as prime minister to Mugabe as part of the 2009 power-sharing agreement.

That coalition achieved some success on economic matters, but Mugabe&rsquo;s party never relinquished any real authority. Mnangagwa was among those who clung to power back then, but I believe he might play things differently now. Mnangagwa is no reformer, but he does need to find ways to bolster his legitimacy. Not to mention he will quickly need to confront Zimbabwe&rsquo;s massive economic woes.

The choices that Zimbabwe&rsquo;s political leadership makes in the coming weeks will have immense consequences for the future of a country whose development has stagnated under 40 years of authoritarian rule.

Real transitions in Zimbabwe are all too rare. Mugabe led the country to independence in March 1980, assumed the presidency and never left. His demise represents a chance for a political reset.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-coup-will-zimbabwe-see-democracy-or-dictatorship-87563" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

The choices that Zimbabwe?s political leadership will make for the future of a country will have immense consequences

For decades, Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe in a ruthless, even reckless manner. Over nearly 40 years, he turned the “jewel of Africa” into an economic basket case that’s seen inflation of up to 800 percent. Then, late in the night of Nov. 14, the country’s security services detained and put Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old president under house arrest in what appeared to be a military coup. The whereabouts of his powerful wife, Grace, are unconfirmed. Much remains unclear at this early stage. Will violence erupt? Is this really the end of the Mugabe era? I don’t know the answers to those questions yet. I’m not sure even Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, who appears to have orchestrated Mugabe’s overthrow, knows how his gambit will turn out. But with each passing hour, it is increasingly evident that Zimbabwe – a country whose politics I spent uncountable hours grappling with as a State Department official – is poised to see its first real leadership transition since 1980. Setting the stage for Zimbabwe’s coup For decades, Mugabe’s grip on Zimbabwe was iron-clad. Even when challenged by an invigorated opposition in 2008, he kept the presidency by entering into a nominal power-sharing agreement. After a decisive electoral victory in 2013, though, he cast the coalition aside. But as the elderly president grew increasingly frail this year, the power struggle to succeed him became frenzied. Two major camps were vying for power. Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, who as a soldier fighting for Zimbabwe’s liberation earned the nickname “the crocodile,” represented the old guard. The 75-year-old enjoyed strong military backing, particularly from the veterans’ association, a powerful coalition of former combatants from Zimbabwe’s independence struggle which began in 1964 and ended in 1979. Last year, the group broke with Mugabe in a public letter, declaring that he had “presided over unbridled corruption and downright mismanagement of the economy, leading to national economic ruin.” Many believed that Vice President Mnangagwa orchestrated the group’s letter as a shot across the bow to warn would-be rivals. The second camp jockeying to control Zimbabwe before the coup was led by Mugabe’s current wife, Grace Mugabe. At a relatively spry 53, she represented the younger generation, drawing significant support from the ruling party’s loyalist Youth League and from an informal grouping of emerging leaders known as “Generation 40.” But Grace Mugabe was deeply unpopular among ordinary Zimbabweans, who called her “Gucci Grace” because of her extravagant spending. Plus, she had a reputation for cruelty. Earlier this year, the president’s wife faced accusations of beating a 20-year old South African model with an electric cable. In September, after Vice President Mnangagwa was emergency airlifted to South Africa due to a strange illness, Grace Mugabe had to publicly deny, on state TV, that she had poisoned her rival. As recently as early November, it appeared that Grace’s camp had prevailed. President Mugabe sacked Mnangagwa, who fled to South Africa. Mnangagwa, it seems, had a different plan. While in exile, he stayed in touch with his military allies. On Nov. 14, Mnangagwa’s camp struck back. By the next morning, Mugabe was under house arrest, his wife had reportedly fled to Namibia seeking asylum and Mnangagwa’s cohort appeared to control the country. Democracy or dictatorship? At least, that’s the picture right now. Events have moved swiftly in the last 24 hours, and some big questions remain unanswered. If Mnangagwa officially takes power, the first unknown is whether he will rule by fiat or cobble together a transitional government. It’s unclear whether Mnanangwa and his allies have any real interest in introducing democracy to Zimbabwe. To do so, they would need to hold an election within a reasonable period of time, say six months. Military coups don’t have a promising track record of ushering in democracy. Recent scholarship finds that while “democratisation coups” have become more frequent worldwide, their most common outcome is to replace an incumbent dictatorship with a “different group of autocrats.” Soldiers patrol the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, after a military coup d'etat against president Robert Mugabe. (AP) × Signals in Zimbabwe are mixed so far. Experts generally describe the latest developments as “an internecine fight” among inner-circle elites and ask two key questions: Which side will prevail, and will violence break out? In my assessment, the answers hinge on Mnangagwa, a hard-nosed realist and survivor who was critical in securing Mugabe’s four-decade rule. Mnangagwa has an appalling human rights record. Many consider him responsible for overseeing a series of massacres between 1982 and 1986 known as the “Gukurahundi,” in which an estimated 20,000 civilians from the Ndebele ethnic group perished. More recently, in 2008, civil society groups accused Mnangagwa of orchestrating electoral violence against the political opposition and rigging polls in Mugabe’s favour. It is also true that Mnangagwa is massively invested in ensuring his continued and unfettered access to power, which has proven highly lucrative for him. The vice president is “reputed” to be one of Zimbabwe’s richest people. All of this suggests he might become yet another dictator. ‘Unity’ for Zimbabwe? Nonetheless, reports indicate that Mnangagwa is currently talking to several opposition parties about potentially forming a transitional government. A key stakeholder in any such arrangement would be Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change, who served as prime minister to Mugabe as part of the 2009 power-sharing agreement. That coalition achieved some success on economic matters, but Mugabe’s party never relinquished any real authority. Mnangagwa was among those who clung to power back then, but I believe he might play things differently now. Mnangagwa is no reformer, but he does need to find ways to bolster his legitimacy. Not to mention he will quickly need to confront Zimbabwe’s massive economic woes. The choices that Zimbabwe’s political leadership makes in the coming weeks will have immense consequences for the future of a country whose development has stagnated under 40 years of authoritarian rule. Real transitions in Zimbabwe are all too rare. Mugabe led the country to independence in March 1980, assumed the presidency and never left. His demise represents a chance for a political reset. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

After the coup, will a dictator rule Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe&#39;s military on Friday said it was negotiating with the country&#39;s incumbent president, who has been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283">placed under house arrest</a> following a military takeover, to resolve the leadership crisis and pave the way for a transitional government and free elections.

Tanks were deployed on the streets of the capital Harare on Wednesday in an apparent attempt to seize power from the 93-year-old <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-mugabe-resisting-army-pressure-to-quit-intelligence-source-24361">Robert Mugabe</a>, who has been in power since 1980 when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pushes-for-trade-talks-to-solve-north-ireland-border-issue-24446" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Mugabe makes first public appearance since army takeover</a>

State-run newspaper The Herald reported the Zimbabwe Defense Forces as saying that &quot;significant progress has been made in their operation to weed out criminals around President Mugabe,&quot; without disclosing names.

Mugabe has not yet announced his resignation, despite calls from the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tensions erupted in Zimbabwe when Mugabe fired vice-president <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-vice-president-emmerson-mnangagwa-back-in-zimbabwe-report-24428">Emmerson Mnangagwa</a> last week in an apparent bid to clear the path for his wife Grace to eventually take the reins of the presidency.

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The long-serving president and the ZDF high commanders held a meeting at Zimbabwe&#39;s State House in capital city Harare late Thursday, with the mediation of a priest and South African special envoys, according to the Herald.

The Southern African Development Community held an emergency meeting on Thursday, noting &quot;with great concern the unfolding situation&quot; in Zimbabwe, and calling on all parties to &quot;settle the political challenges through peaceful means&quot;.

The African country remains one of the poorest nations in sub-Saharan Africa and subject to hyper-inflation rates that have crippled the country&#39;s economy.

(All the rights of the contents (text, photo, video, multimedia products and others) included in the services supplied to the user in this test are EFE-EPA property and shall be reproduced under EFE-EPA @copyright. Contents shall be reproduced only in the terms agreed with EFE and by no mean can those be redistributed, transferred or traded. User shall be held responsible for the alteration or misuse of the contents and products included in EFE-EPA services. User is compelled to follow the national law and will be the only responsible for the use or misuse of the contents provided by EFE-EPA.)

&nbsp;

President Mugabe has not yet announced his resignation, despite calls from the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe's military on Friday said it was negotiating with the country's incumbent president, who has been placed under house arrest following a military takeover, to resolve the leadership crisis and pave the way for a transitional government and free elections. Tanks were deployed on the streets of the capital Harare on Wednesday in an apparent attempt to seize power from the 93-year-old Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980 when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. Also read: Mugabe makes first public appearance since army takeover State-run newspaper The Herald reported the Zimbabwe Defense Forces as saying that "significant progress has been made in their operation to weed out criminals around President Mugabe," without disclosing names. Mugabe has not yet announced his resignation, despite calls from the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Tensions erupted in Zimbabwe when Mugabe fired vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa last week in an apparent bid to clear the path for his wife Grace to eventually take the reins of the presidency. An armoured vehicle is parked in the central district of Harare, on November 16. (EPA-EFE FILE) (Others) × The long-serving president and the ZDF high commanders held a meeting at Zimbabwe's State House in capital city Harare late Thursday, with the mediation of a priest and South African special envoys, according to the Herald. The Southern African Development Community held an emergency meeting on Thursday, noting "with great concern the unfolding situation" in Zimbabwe, and calling on all parties to "settle the political challenges through peaceful means". The African country remains one of the poorest nations in sub-Saharan Africa and subject to hyper-inflation rates that have crippled the country's economy. (All the rights of the contents (text, photo, video, multimedia products and others) included in the services supplied to the user in this test are EFE-EPA property and shall be reproduced under EFE-EPA @copyright. Contents shall be reproduced only in the terms agreed with EFE and by no mean can those be redistributed, transferred or traded. User shall be held responsible for the alteration or misuse of the contents and products included in EFE-EPA services. User is compelled to follow the national law and will be the only responsible for the use or misuse of the contents provided by EFE-EPA.)

Army says progress made in ending Zimbabwe crisis

A senior aide<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-after-coup-will-zimbabwe-see-democracy-or-dictatorship-24415"> in the Zimbabwe government told</a> AFP today former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa has returned to the country.

Emmerson <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">Mnangagwa sacking had reportedly</a> triggered the military coup in Zimbabwe two days ago with President Mugabe being put under virtual house arrest.

The Zimbabwe military is backing Mnangagwa as a potential successor to President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe military said it had detained some &quot;criminals&quot; in President Robert Mugabe&#39;s government.

&quot;Significant progress has been made in our operation,&quot; the defence forces said in a statement, adding,&quot;We have accounted for some of the criminals while others are still at large.&quot;

Meanwhile, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 93, refused to resign from his post on Thursday even as the military seized control of key government installation in the two-day-old military coup.

Zimbabwe state TV had flashed images of the meeting showed Mugabe dressed in a navy blue blazer and grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga.

In Paris, the head of the African Union, Guinea&#39;s President Alpha Conde, warned on Thursday that the continent &quot;will never accept the military coup d&#39;etat&quot; in Zimbabwe and called for a return to the &quot;constitutional order&quot;.

&quot;We demand respect for the constitution, a return to the constitutional order and we will never accept the military coup d&#39;etat,&quot; Alpha Conde said in an interview with French journalists in Paris.&nbsp;

Britain, a long-time critic of Mugabe&#39;s regime called for elections scheduled for 2018 to go ahead. 
&nbsp;

Zimbabwe military said it had detained some "criminals" in President Robert Mugabe's government.

A senior aide in the Zimbabwe government told AFP today former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa has returned to the country. Emmerson Mnangagwa sacking had reportedly triggered the military coup in Zimbabwe two days ago with President Mugabe being put under virtual house arrest. The Zimbabwe military is backing Mnangagwa as a potential successor to President Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe military said it had detained some "criminals" in President Robert Mugabe's government. "Significant progress has been made in our operation," the defence forces said in a statement, adding,"We have accounted for some of the criminals while others are still at large." Meanwhile, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 93, refused to resign from his post on Thursday even as the military seized control of key government installation in the two-day-old military coup. Zimbabwe state TV had flashed images of the meeting showed Mugabe dressed in a navy blue blazer and grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga. In Paris, the head of the African Union, Guinea's President Alpha Conde, warned on Thursday that the continent "will never accept the military coup d'etat" in Zimbabwe and called for a return to the "constitutional order". "We demand respect for the constitution, a return to the constitutional order and we will never accept the military coup d'etat," Alpha Conde said in an interview with French journalists in Paris. Britain, a long-time critic of Mugabe's regime called for elections scheduled for 2018 to go ahead.

Former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa back in Zimbabwe: Report

President Robert Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe&#39;s only legitimate ruler, an intelligence source said on Thursday, and is resisting mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup.

The priest, Fidelis Mukonori, is acting as a middle-man between Mugabe and the generals, who seized power on Wednesday in a targeted operation against &quot;criminals&quot; in his entourage, a senior political source told Reuters.&nbsp;(Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-a-military-coup-is-afoot-in-zimbabwe-whats-next-for-the-embattled-nation-24346">A military coup is afoot in Zimbabwe. What&#39;s next for the embattled nation?</a>)

The source could not provide details of the talks, which appear to be aimed at a smooth and bloodless transition after the departure of Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa&#39;s most promising states.

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.

South Africa said Mugabe had told President Jacob Zuma by telephone on Wednesday that he was confined to his home but was otherwise fine and the military said it was keeping him and his family, including wife Grace, safe.

Despite the lingering admiration for Mugabe, there is little public affection for 52-year-old Grace, a former government typist who started having an affair with Mugabe in the early 1990s as his first wife, Sally, was dying of cancer.

Dubbed &quot;DisGrace&quot; or &quot;Gucci Grace&quot; on account of her reputed love of shopping, she enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of Mugabe&#39;s ruling ZANU-PF in the last two years, culminating in Mnangagwa&#39;s removal a week ago - a move seen as clearing the way for her to succeed her husband.

In contrast to the high political drama unfolding behind closed doors, the streets of the capital remained calm, with people going about their daily business, albeit under the watch of soldiers on armoured vehicles at strategic locations.

Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation change for the former British colony, a regional breadbasket reduced to destitution by economic policies Mugabe&#39;s critics have long blamed on him.

 
&nbsp;

The President is resisting mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup, an intelligence source said

President Robert Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe's only legitimate ruler, an intelligence source said on Thursday, and is resisting mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup. The priest, Fidelis Mukonori, is acting as a middle-man between Mugabe and the generals, who seized power on Wednesday in a targeted operation against "criminals" in his entourage, a senior political source told Reuters. (Also Read: A military coup is afoot in Zimbabwe. What's next for the embattled nation?) The source could not provide details of the talks, which appear to be aimed at a smooth and bloodless transition after the departure of Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa's most promising states. 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. South Africa said Mugabe had told President Jacob Zuma by telephone on Wednesday that he was confined to his home but was otherwise fine and the military said it was keeping him and his family, including wife Grace, safe. Despite the lingering admiration for Mugabe, there is little public affection for 52-year-old Grace, a former government typist who started having an affair with Mugabe in the early 1990s as his first wife, Sally, was dying of cancer. Dubbed "DisGrace" or "Gucci Grace" on account of her reputed love of shopping, she enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF in the last two years, culminating in Mnangagwa's removal a week ago - a move seen as clearing the way for her to succeed her husband. In contrast to the high political drama unfolding behind closed doors, the streets of the capital remained calm, with people going about their daily business, albeit under the watch of soldiers on armoured vehicles at strategic locations. Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation change for the former British colony, a regional breadbasket reduced to destitution by economic policies Mugabe's critics have long blamed on him.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe resisting army pressure to quit: Intelligence source

Nobody is safe from the rages of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s First Lady, &ldquo;Dr Amai&rdquo; Grace Mugabe. There was the young South African model Grace lashed with extension cords. 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe&rsquo;s longtime and usually trusted ally Emmerson Mnangagwa, was next in the firing line: He was sacked because his supporters allegedly booed her at a rally.

The consequences of her vengeance may have led to a coup headed by Zimbabwe&rsquo;s army chief General Constantino Chiwenga, who is commonly perceived to be Mnangagwa&rsquo;s prot&eacute;g&eacute;. But ex-freedom fighter Mnangagwa has his own presidential aspirations.

Mnangagwa has been exiled from the party in which he has served since he was a teenager. But he is not just skulking in the political wilderness. On arrival in South Africa, he issued a statement calling those who wanted him out &ldquo;minnows&rdquo;. He promised to control his party &ldquo;very soon&rdquo; and urged his supporters to register to vote in the national elections next July.

As if to back Mnangagwa, on November 13 General Chiwenga announced that he and his officers could not allow the &ldquo;counter-revolutionary infiltrators&rdquo;, implied to be behind Grace Mugabe, to continue their purges.

Factions and purges

Chiwenga declared that the armed forces must ensure all party members attend the extraordinary Zanu-PF congress next month with &ldquo;equal opportunity to exercise their democratic rights&rdquo;. He flashed back through Zanu-PF&rsquo;s history of factionalism, reminding his listeners that although the military &ldquo;will not hesitate to step in&rdquo; it has never &ldquo;usurped power&rdquo;. Chiwenga promised to defuse all the differences &ldquo;amicably and in the ruling party&rsquo;s closet&rdquo;.

Although, this airbrushed more than it revealed about the party&rsquo;s rough patches when leadership vacuums appeared, the statement appeared more as a cautionary note than a clarion call to arms. It&rsquo;s not often a coup is announced before it starts, but once in motion direction &ndash; and history &ndash; can change. Grace Mugabe may have unleashed a perfect storm and her own undoing.

&nbsp;

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Soldiers stand next to a tank on a road in Harare. (Reuters)
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All the &ldquo;shenanigans&rdquo; that have inspired the generals to consider a coup have set the stage for an extraordinary Zanu-PF congress this December instead of in the expected 2019: That is, before rather than after the July 2018 national elections.

This suggests some people were in a hurry to settle the succession issues for the president, who is now showing every one of his 93 years. Maybe Robert Mugabe won&rsquo;t rule until he is 100-years-old. If not, and members of his family or party wanted to keep their dynasties alive, they had to work quickly lest some similarly inclined contenders are in their way.

These contenders include Mnangagwa and a slew of his &ldquo;Lacoste&rdquo; faction consisting of war veterans and the odd financial liberal. The best-known of these is Patrick Chinamasa. This former finance minister tried to convince the world&rsquo;s bankers he could pull Zimbabwe out of the fire. He was demoted to control cyberspace and then fired. Perhaps he may make a comeback in the wake of the semi-coup.

The pro-Grace faction includes the members of Generation 40, or &ldquo;G-40&rdquo;. Many are well over 40. But in Robert Mugabe&rsquo;s shadow, they appear young, as does the 52-year-old First Lady. Without a base in the liberation-war cohort, they resorted to working with the Mugabe couple: Sometimes their ideology appears radical, espousing indigenous economics and more land to the tillers.

If the history of their best-known member &ndash; the current Minister of Higher Education Jonathan Moyo &ndash; is indicative, however, they are pragmatic; or less politely put, opportunist.

But with Grace Mugabe sans Robert, they would have to muster inordinate amounts of patience and manipulation to steer the sinking ship to the shores of stable statehood and incorporate yet younger generations who cut their political teeth as Robert Mugabe&rsquo;s rule faltered.

Perfidious &lsquo;saviours&rsquo;

Yet the possible plan for the upcoming congress &ndash; to create a third vice-president &ndash; appears not to move far beyond the cold hands of the old. Phelekezela Mphoko would be pushed to third vice-president status. Grace would be the second vice-president.

The current defence minister, Sydney Sekeramayi would be first vice-president and so, next in line for the presidential palace. He is a quiet but no less tarnished member of the Zanu-PF old guard; especially when one remembers the massacre of thousands of Ndebele people during the Gukurahundi.

When performing the calculus necessary to rectify Zimbabwe&rsquo;s graceless imbalances, remember that Mnangagwa was perhaps the key architect of the nearly genocidal Gukurahundi, now chronicled in archival detail in historian Stuart Doran&rsquo;s Kingdom, Power, Glory: Mugabe, Zanu, and the Quest for Supremacy. Among the scores implicated therein are the British, condemned by Hazel Cameron, another meticulous archivist, as exercising &ldquo;wilful blindness&rdquo; during what Robert Mugabe has dismissed as a &ldquo;moment of madness&rdquo;.

Perhaps it&rsquo;s no surprise, then, that many are suspicious of Mnangagwa&rsquo;s relationship with the UK. Many suspects he has been swimming with perfidious Albion for a very, very long time.

Those waters, in the shadow of Mugabe&rsquo;s heritage, will take a few more generations of hard political work to clear. It hardly seems propitious that a coup, and the same generation that has ruled since 1980, starts it off.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-military-coup-is-afoot-in-zimbabwe-whats-next-for-the-embattled-nation-87528" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

The protracted political crisis in Zimbabwe has worsened since President Mugabe fired vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa also the military has entered the fray, raising fears a coup is imminent

Nobody is safe from the rages of Zimbabwe’s First Lady, “Dr Amai” Grace Mugabe. There was the young South African model Grace lashed with extension cords. 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe’s longtime and usually trusted ally Emmerson Mnangagwa, was next in the firing line: He was sacked because his supporters allegedly booed her at a rally. The consequences of her vengeance may have led to a coup headed by Zimbabwe’s army chief General Constantino Chiwenga, who is commonly perceived to be Mnangagwa’s protégé. But ex-freedom fighter Mnangagwa has his own presidential aspirations. Mnangagwa has been exiled from the party in which he has served since he was a teenager. But he is not just skulking in the political wilderness. On arrival in South Africa, he issued a statement calling those who wanted him out “minnows”. He promised to control his party “very soon” and urged his supporters to register to vote in the national elections next July. As if to back Mnangagwa, on November 13 General Chiwenga announced that he and his officers could not allow the “counter-revolutionary infiltrators”, implied to be behind Grace Mugabe, to continue their purges. Factions and purges Chiwenga declared that the armed forces must ensure all party members attend the extraordinary Zanu-PF congress next month with “equal opportunity to exercise their democratic rights”. He flashed back through Zanu-PF’s history of factionalism, reminding his listeners that although the military “will not hesitate to step in” it has never “usurped power”. Chiwenga promised to defuse all the differences “amicably and in the ruling party’s closet”. Although, this airbrushed more than it revealed about the party’s rough patches when leadership vacuums appeared, the statement appeared more as a cautionary note than a clarion call to arms. It’s not often a coup is announced before it starts, but once in motion direction – and history – can change. Grace Mugabe may have unleashed a perfect storm and her own undoing. Soldiers stand next to a tank on a road in Harare. (Reuters) × All the “shenanigans” that have inspired the generals to consider a coup have set the stage for an extraordinary Zanu-PF congress this December instead of in the expected 2019: That is, before rather than after the July 2018 national elections. This suggests some people were in a hurry to settle the succession issues for the president, who is now showing every one of his 93 years. Maybe Robert Mugabe won’t rule until he is 100-years-old. If not, and members of his family or party wanted to keep their dynasties alive, they had to work quickly lest some similarly inclined contenders are in their way. These contenders include Mnangagwa and a slew of his “Lacoste” faction consisting of war veterans and the odd financial liberal. The best-known of these is Patrick Chinamasa. This former finance minister tried to convince the world’s bankers he could pull Zimbabwe out of the fire. He was demoted to control cyberspace and then fired. Perhaps he may make a comeback in the wake of the semi-coup. The pro-Grace faction includes the members of Generation 40, or “G-40”. Many are well over 40. But in Robert Mugabe’s shadow, they appear young, as does the 52-year-old First Lady. Without a base in the liberation-war cohort, they resorted to working with the Mugabe couple: Sometimes their ideology appears radical, espousing indigenous economics and more land to the tillers. If the history of their best-known member – the current Minister of Higher Education Jonathan Moyo – is indicative, however, they are pragmatic; or less politely put, opportunist. But with Grace Mugabe sans Robert, they would have to muster inordinate amounts of patience and manipulation to steer the sinking ship to the shores of stable statehood and incorporate yet younger generations who cut their political teeth as Robert Mugabe’s rule faltered. Perfidious ‘saviours’ Yet the possible plan for the upcoming congress – to create a third vice-president – appears not to move far beyond the cold hands of the old. Phelekezela Mphoko would be pushed to third vice-president status. Grace would be the second vice-president. The current defence minister, Sydney Sekeramayi would be first vice-president and so, next in line for the presidential palace. He is a quiet but no less tarnished member of the Zanu-PF old guard; especially when one remembers the massacre of thousands of Ndebele people during the Gukurahundi. When performing the calculus necessary to rectify Zimbabwe’s graceless imbalances, remember that Mnangagwa was perhaps the key architect of the nearly genocidal Gukurahundi, now chronicled in archival detail in historian Stuart Doran’s Kingdom, Power, Glory: Mugabe, Zanu, and the Quest for Supremacy. Among the scores implicated therein are the British, condemned by Hazel Cameron, another meticulous archivist, as exercising “wilful blindness” during what Robert Mugabe has dismissed as a “moment of madness”. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that many are suspicious of Mnangagwa’s relationship with the UK. Many suspects he has been swimming with perfidious Albion for a very, very long time. Those waters, in the shadow of Mugabe’s heritage, will take a few more generations of hard political work to clear. It hardly seems propitious that a coup, and the same generation that has ruled since 1980, starts it off. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

A military coup is afoot in Zimbabwe. What's next for the embattled nation?

The head of the African Union said Thursday that the body &quot;will never accept the military coup d&#39;etat&quot; in Zimbabwe.

&quot;We demand respect for the constitution, a return to the constitutional order and we will never accept the military coup d&#39;etat,&quot; Alpha Conde said in an interview with French journalists in Paris. (Also Read -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-mugabe-resisting-army-pressure-to-quit-intelligence-source-24361">Zimbabwe&#39;s Mugabe resisting army pressure to quit: Intelligence source</a>)

&quot;We know there are internal problems. They need to be resolved politically by the ZANU-PF party and not with an intervention by the army,&quot; added Conde, who is also Guinea&#39;s president. 
&nbsp;

'We demand respect for the constitution, a return to the constitutional order and we will never accept the military coup d'etat,' Alpha Conde said in an interview with French journalists in Paris

The head of the African Union said Thursday that the body "will never accept the military coup d'etat" in Zimbabwe. "We demand respect for the constitution, a return to the constitutional order and we will never accept the military coup d'etat," Alpha Conde said in an interview with French journalists in Paris. (Also Read - Zimbabwe's Mugabe resisting army pressure to quit: Intelligence source) "We know there are internal problems. They need to be resolved politically by the ZANU-PF party and not with an intervention by the army," added Conde, who is also Guinea's president.

Zimbabwe crisis: African Union chief says 'will never accept military coup'

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the world&#39;s oldest head of state, refused to resign during a crunch meeting Thursday with military generals who pushed him from power and seized control of the country.

The talks in Harare, confirmed to AFP by a source close to the army leadership, came after soldiers blockaded key roads, took over state TV and detained the veteran leader.

&quot;They met today. He is refusing to step down. I think he is trying to buy time,&quot; said the source, who declined to be named.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292" target="_blank">Zimbabwe&#39;s Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot</a>

Mugabe&#39;s motorcade reportedly took him from his private residence to State House for talks which were held alongside meetings with envoys from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc.

Images of the meeting showed Mugabe dressed in a navy blue blazer and grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga who smiled and was dressed in camouflage military fatigues.

Zimbabwe was left stunned at the military intervention against Mugabe, 93, who has ruled the country since independence from British rule in 1980.

Despite Mugabe&#39;s refusal to resign, attention has shifted to the prominent figures who could play a role in any transitional government.

&#39;Very delicate time&#39; 
Morgan Tsvangirai, a former prime minister and long-time opponent of Mugabe, told journalists in Harare that Mugabe must resign &quot;in the interest of the people&quot;.

He added that &quot;a transitional mechanism&quot; would be needed to ensure stability.

Tendai Biti, an internationally-respected figure who served as finance minister during the coalition government after the 2008 elections, called it &quot;a very delicate time for Zimbabwe&quot;.

&quot;A way has to be worked out to maintain stability. That restoration requires a roadmap and to address the grievances that have led to this situation,&quot; he said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mugabes-zimbabwe-is-in-deep-financial-mess-24272" target="_blank">Also read: Robert Mugabe&#39;s Zimbabwe is in a deep mess</a>

Mugabe&#39;s advanced age, poor health and listless public performances fuelled the bitter succession battle between his wife Grace and vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who Mugabe sacked last week.

Mnangagwa, 75, was previously one of Mugabe&#39;s most loyal lieutenants, having worked alongside him for decades.&nbsp;

But he fled to South Africa following his dismissal and published a scathing five-page rebuke of Mugabe&#39;s leadership and Grace&#39;s presidential ambitions.

The military generals were strongly opposed to Grace&#39;s rise, while Mnangagwa has maintained close ties to the army and could emerge as the next president.

&quot;People want the constitution to be upheld. The talks should look at how to deal with the Mugabe issue in a progressive manner,&quot; political analyst Earnest Mudzengi told AFP. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Eldred Masunungure, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, added that the formation of a &quot;pre-election coalition&quot; could be a viable response to the crisis.

Many Zimbabweans hoped the situation would pave the way to a more prosperous future.

&quot;We needed change. Our situation has been pathetic,&quot; said Keresenzia Moyo, 65.

&quot;The economy has been in the doldrums for a very long time. We are happy with what has been done.&quot;

However a spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party, Simon Khaya Moyo, insisted it was business as usual.

&quot;It&#39;s normal, everything is normal with the party,&quot; he told AFP.

Harare&#39;s residents largely ignored the few soldiers still on the streets Thursday and continued commuting, socialising and working.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-a-military-coup-is-afoot-in-zimbabwe-whats-next-for-the-embattled-nation-24346" target="_blank">Also read: A military coup is afoot in Zimbabwe. What&#39;s next for the embattled nation?</a>

The international community has been watching the crisis closely.

In Paris, the head of the African Union, Guinea&#39;s President Alpha Conde, warned on Thursday that the continent &quot;will never accept the military coup d&#39;etat&quot; in Zimbabwe and called for a return to the &quot;constitutional order.&quot;

&quot;(Problems) need to be resolved politically by the ZANU-PF party and not with an intervention by the army,&quot; added Conde.

Britain, Zimbabwe&#39;s former colonial ruler, called for elections scheduled for 2018 to go ahead.

ZANU-PF &#39;soiled&#39; 
The state-owned Herald newspaper walked a fine line in its editorial pages Thursday by remaining loyal to Mugabe but also endorsing the military&#39;s action.

&quot;The military does not readily interfere... they had to break with this long tradition,&quot; it wrote, adding that ZANU-PF &quot;was being soiled by those who should be helping the President&quot;.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

'They met today. He is refusing to step down. I think he is trying to buy time,' said a source close to the army

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, refused to resign during a crunch meeting Thursday with military generals who pushed him from power and seized control of the country. The talks in Harare, confirmed to AFP by a source close to the army leadership, came after soldiers blockaded key roads, took over state TV and detained the veteran leader. "They met today. He is refusing to step down. I think he is trying to buy time," said the source, who declined to be named. Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot Mugabe's motorcade reportedly took him from his private residence to State House for talks which were held alongside meetings with envoys from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc. Images of the meeting showed Mugabe dressed in a navy blue blazer and grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga who smiled and was dressed in camouflage military fatigues. Zimbabwe was left stunned at the military intervention against Mugabe, 93, who has ruled the country since independence from British rule in 1980. Despite Mugabe's refusal to resign, attention has shifted to the prominent figures who could play a role in any transitional government. 'Very delicate time' Morgan Tsvangirai, a former prime minister and long-time opponent of Mugabe, told journalists in Harare that Mugabe must resign "in the interest of the people". He added that "a transitional mechanism" would be needed to ensure stability. Tendai Biti, an internationally-respected figure who served as finance minister during the coalition government after the 2008 elections, called it "a very delicate time for Zimbabwe". "A way has to be worked out to maintain stability. That restoration requires a roadmap and to address the grievances that have led to this situation," he said. Also read: Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is in a deep mess Mugabe's advanced age, poor health and listless public performances fuelled the bitter succession battle between his wife Grace and vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who Mugabe sacked last week. Mnangagwa, 75, was previously one of Mugabe's most loyal lieutenants, having worked alongside him for decades. But he fled to South Africa following his dismissal and published a scathing five-page rebuke of Mugabe's leadership and Grace's presidential ambitions. The military generals were strongly opposed to Grace's rise, while Mnangagwa has maintained close ties to the army and could emerge as the next president. "People want the constitution to be upheld. The talks should look at how to deal with the Mugabe issue in a progressive manner," political analyst Earnest Mudzengi told AFP. Eldred Masunungure, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, added that the formation of a "pre-election coalition" could be a viable response to the crisis. Many Zimbabweans hoped the situation would pave the way to a more prosperous future. "We needed change. Our situation has been pathetic," said Keresenzia Moyo, 65. "The economy has been in the doldrums for a very long time. We are happy with what has been done." However a spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party, Simon Khaya Moyo, insisted it was business as usual. "It's normal, everything is normal with the party," he told AFP. Harare's residents largely ignored the few soldiers still on the streets Thursday and continued commuting, socialising and working. Also read: A military coup is afoot in Zimbabwe. What's next for the embattled nation? The international community has been watching the crisis closely. In Paris, the head of the African Union, Guinea's President Alpha Conde, warned on Thursday that the continent "will never accept the military coup d'etat" in Zimbabwe and called for a return to the "constitutional order." "(Problems) need to be resolved politically by the ZANU-PF party and not with an intervention by the army," added Conde. Britain, Zimbabwe's former colonial ruler, called for elections scheduled for 2018 to go ahead. ZANU-PF 'soiled' The state-owned Herald newspaper walked a fine line in its editorial pages Thursday by remaining loyal to Mugabe but also endorsing the military's action. "The military does not readily interfere... they had to break with this long tradition," it wrote, adding that ZANU-PF "was being soiled by those who should be helping the President".

Mugabe refuses to stand down in talks with Zimbabwe military

Gunfire was heard near Zimbabwe President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mugabe-at-93-remains-as-determined-to-retain-power-12562">Robert Mugabe&#39;s house</a> in Harare&nbsp;on Wednesday with military officers claiming they were not launching a coup but were &quot;targeting criminals around&quot; the president.

A Zimbabwe military officer read out an address live on state TV saying,&quot;It is not a military takeover of government.&quot;

Military vehicles were seen on the streets at Harare, however, the army denied a coup was underway.

Reports said the Army had taken control of the nation&#39;s broadcasting organization ZBC.

Recently, Mugabe-led ZANU-PF party had accused General Constantino Chiwenga of &quot;treasonable conduct&quot; leading to tensions between the government and army.&nbsp;

&quot;We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... As soon as we have accomplished our mission we expect that the situation will return to normalcy,&quot; a military leader&nbsp;said during the state broadcast.

Earlier, several tanks were seen moving near the Zimbabwean capital Harare witnesses told AFP, a day after the army warned it could intervene over a purge of ruling party officials.

Zimbabwe military officers said President Robert Mugabe was safe, adding,&quot;We wish to assure the nation that his excellency the president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed.&quot;

Meanwhile, The US ambassador in Zimbabwe has instructed all employees to remain home due to &quot;ongoing political uncertainty,&quot; the embassy said in a statement on its website.

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Due to ongoing uncertainty in Zimbabwe, the U.S. Embassy in Harare will be minimally staffed and closed to the public on November 15.&nbsp; Embassy personnel will continue to monitor the situation closely. <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a>
&mdash; U.S. Embassy Harare (@usembassyharare) <a href="https://twitter.com/usembassyharare/status/930591134241492993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Also read:&nbsp;Grace Mugabe flees Zimbabwe after army takes over: Reports

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">&nbsp;Zimbabwe&#39;s Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mugabes-zimbabwe-is-in-deep-financial-mess-24272">Also read:&nbsp;Robert Mugabe&#39;s Zimbabwe is in deep mess</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/targeting-criminals-not-a-military-takeover-of-government-zimbabwe-military-24236">Also read:&nbsp;Targeting criminals, not a military takeover of government: Zimbabwe military</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283">read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283"> Zimbabwe: President Mugabe under house arrest, army denies coup</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/main-zimbabwe-newspaper-completely-misses-news-of-coup-24321">Also read: Main Zimbabwe newspaper completely misses news of coup</a> 
&nbsp;

Several tanks were seen moving near the Zimbabwean capital Harare

Gunfire was heard near Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's house in Harare on Wednesday with military officers claiming they were not launching a coup but were "targeting criminals around" the president. A Zimbabwe military officer read out an address live on state TV saying,"It is not a military takeover of government." Military vehicles were seen on the streets at Harare, however, the army denied a coup was underway. Reports said the Army had taken control of the nation's broadcasting organization ZBC. Recently, Mugabe-led ZANU-PF party had accused General Constantino Chiwenga of "treasonable conduct" leading to tensions between the government and army. "We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... As soon as we have accomplished our mission we expect that the situation will return to normalcy," a military leader said during the state broadcast. Earlier, several tanks were seen moving near the Zimbabwean capital Harare witnesses told AFP, a day after the army warned it could intervene over a purge of ruling party officials. Zimbabwe military officers said President Robert Mugabe was safe, adding,"We wish to assure the nation that his excellency the president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed." Meanwhile, The US ambassador in Zimbabwe has instructed all employees to remain home due to "ongoing political uncertainty," the embassy said in a statement on its website. Due to ongoing uncertainty in Zimbabwe, the U.S. Embassy in Harare will be minimally staffed and closed to the public on November 15. Embassy personnel will continue to monitor the situation closely. @StateDept — U.S. Embassy Harare (@usembassyharare) November 15, 2017 × Also read: Grace Mugabe flees Zimbabwe after army takes over: Reports Also read: Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot Also read: Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is in deep mess Also read: Targeting criminals, not a military takeover of government: Zimbabwe military Also read: Zimbabwe: President Mugabe under house arrest, army denies coup Also read: Main Zimbabwe newspaper completely misses news of coup

Targeting criminals, not a military takeover of government: Zimbabwe military

Zimbabwe&rsquo;s financial system increasingly resembles a house of cards. Were one card to give way &ndash; for instance, if South Africa&rsquo;s power utility, Eskom, were to have the temerity to suggest that Zimbabwe actually pays for the electricity that it&rsquo;s supplying the country &ndash; the entire edifice would collapse.

To put it another way, the government is a bust. It is again printing money to cover its spiralling costs, and inflation is rising. And given that there&rsquo;s an election looming in 2018, Zimbabwe&rsquo;s ruling party, ZANU-PF doesn&rsquo;t want to cut-back. Far from it, it wants to carry on spending, as fast as it can.

The rot goes back to the early 2000&rsquo;s. ZANU-PF profligacy had been fuelled by a&nbsp;continuous cycle of simply printing more money and resultant runaway inflation. Mega-inflation meant that ordinary people lost their pensions and whatever savings they had, as the Zimbabwe dollar lost its value and people resorted to barter or the use of other currencies.

Ultimately, the government faced no choice but to accept reality. In 2008 it scrapped the Zimbabwe dollar in favour of a basket of other currencies, although within a short time, this meant in effect the reign of the US dollar.

&ldquo;Dollarisation&rdquo; allowed for the pursuit of more rational policies by the coalition Government of National Unity which followed the disputed 2008 election. However, its control of the electoral machinery ensured that ZANU-PF won a resounding victory in the 2013 election. Within a short space of time, it returned to its familiar policy mix of profligacy, corruption and populist economics.

Yet ZANU-PF faced major problems. Above all, &ldquo;dollarisation&rdquo; meant that the cost of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s exports on international markets was high. Worse, the dramatic collapse in agricultural production since the early 2000s (following the appropriation of white farms) alongside the decimation of the country&rsquo;s manufacturing industries meant that there was relatively little to export anyway. Tobacco production has recovered a little, but the quality is less than it used to be, so returns are relatively less.

Meanwhile, government insistence that mines should be 51 per cent&nbsp;Zimbabwean owned has done nothing to entice inward investment or boost exports.

In short, the capacity of the economy to earn US dollars by selling goods externally has fallen dramatically, and the supply of money circulating within the country has dried up. Unemployment stands at around 90 per cent.

President Robert Mugabe&rsquo;s latest response has been to replace finance minister Patrick Chinamasa, who had been warning of the structure&rsquo;s fragility in ever more urgent tones. The new finance minister is Ignatius Chombo, a party loyalist, who will brook no talk of any need for structural reform.

The bond notes

Faced with a looming crisis, the ZANU-PF government has resorted to three key strategies.

One has been the issue of &ldquo;bond notes&rdquo; (of different denominations) by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Officially, they&rsquo;re designed to swell the amount of money in circulation within the country. The problem is that apart from having no value outside the country, nobody trusts them as they have been issued by a ZANU-PF government, and it was this government that presided over the hyperinflation.

ZANU-PF&rsquo;s announcement that it was issuing bond notes was met with a run on the banks as depositors sought to withdraw dollars as fast as they could. Their assumption was that this was a government ploy to reintroduce the Zimbabwean dollar. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe responded by limiting the number of dollars individuals could withdraw.

People are reluctant to use the bond notes. But they&rsquo;re still sometimes forced to accept them because of the sheer shortage of &ldquo;real&rdquo; money. As a result, when they can, they rush off to the local bus station where they can sell them for dollars to currency traders &ndash; albeit illegally.

The second strategy has been the rapid expansion of country&rsquo;s ability to manage electronic transactions. Its aim has been to expand the amount of money in circulation without using up &ldquo;real&rdquo; dollars.

Accordingly, government employees are now largely paid electronically. Similarly, government employees (and everyone else) now pay nearly all their bills within the country electronically.

And Zimbabweans are rarely able to convert the notional sums of dollars they hold in the bank into real cash &ndash; unless they make use of the currency traders in illegal transactions.

Meanwhile, with the rate of inflation continuing to rise combined with the widespread lack of faith in the banks, many Zimbabweans spend their bank balances on consumer goods as quickly as possible rather than attempting to &ldquo;save&rdquo;. After all, if times get hard, you won&rsquo;t be able to get rid of your bond notes, but you may be able to sell your fridge.

Fanciful financial system

But it&rsquo;s the third strategy which the government has pursued which is really fuelling a fanciful financial system.

Since 2013, government expenditure has steadily increased year by year, despite the country earning very little internationally. The ZANU-PF government may have hoped to fund this by its old trick of literally printing money, that is, by expanding the supply of bond notes.

But such was the negative popular sentiment that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe seems to have restricted their issue. Supposedly the issue of bond notes is backed by a USD$200 loan by the Afreximbank, but no-one really knows how many have been issued because the central bank provides no information.

What the government has done instead is to fund its rising costs by issuing treasury bills (whereby the government touts for loans on the capital market against promises of later redemption). No-one in their right mind would want to buy them, but Zimbabwe&rsquo;s banks today have little option. As inward investment into the country has dried up to a trickle, there is little else for them to spend their money on, and the interest rates that the government promises to pay are, at face value, attractively high.

The coalition government of national unity recorded budget surpluses for three of the four full years in which the opposition controlled the Treasury. For its part, the ZANU-PF government recorded deficits of USD$186 million and USD$125 million in 2014 and 2015. Recently, the then finance minister Chinamasa projected a deficit of USD$1.41 billion for 2017. As of June 30, 2017, there were USD$2.5 billion worth of Treasury bills on the issue.

In other words, the spending will continue. Zimbabwe&rsquo;s financial system is living on borrowed time and borrowed money. It will again end in financial ruin, as it did in 2008. But all ZANU-PF cares about is ensuring that it wins the next election and allowing its political elite to &ldquo;eat&rdquo;.

This article was originally published in <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/zimbabwes-financial-system-is-living-on-borrowed-time-and-borrowed-money-86159" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/grace-mugabe-flees-zimbabwe-after-army-takes-over-reports-24301">Also read:&nbsp;Grace Mugabe flees Zimbabwe after army takes over: Reports</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292">&nbsp;Zimbabwe&#39;s Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/main-zimbabwe-newspaper-completely-misses-news-of-coup-24321">Also read:&nbsp;Main Zimbabwe newspaper completely misses news of coup</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/targeting-criminals-not-a-military-takeover-of-government-zimbabwe-military-24236">Also read:&nbsp;Targeting criminals, not a military takeover of government: Zimbabwe military</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283">read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/army-takes-control-in-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-detained-report-24283"> Zimbabwe: President Mugabe under house arrest, army denies coup</a> 
&nbsp;

Years of political instability and economic mismanagement under the rule of ZANU-PF have left Zimbabwe?s financial system in chaos. The country is living on borrowed time and borrowed money.

Zimbabwe’s financial system increasingly resembles a house of cards. Were one card to give way – for instance, if South Africa’s power utility, Eskom, were to have the temerity to suggest that Zimbabwe actually pays for the electricity that it’s supplying the country – the entire edifice would collapse. To put it another way, the government is a bust. It is again printing money to cover its spiralling costs, and inflation is rising. And given that there’s an election looming in 2018, Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF doesn’t want to cut-back. Far from it, it wants to carry on spending, as fast as it can. The rot goes back to the early 2000’s. ZANU-PF profligacy had been fuelled by a continuous cycle of simply printing more money and resultant runaway inflation. Mega-inflation meant that ordinary people lost their pensions and whatever savings they had, as the Zimbabwe dollar lost its value and people resorted to barter or the use of other currencies. Ultimately, the government faced no choice but to accept reality. In 2008 it scrapped the Zimbabwe dollar in favour of a basket of other currencies, although within a short time, this meant in effect the reign of the US dollar. “Dollarisation” allowed for the pursuit of more rational policies by the coalition Government of National Unity which followed the disputed 2008 election. However, its control of the electoral machinery ensured that ZANU-PF won a resounding victory in the 2013 election. Within a short space of time, it returned to its familiar policy mix of profligacy, corruption and populist economics. Yet ZANU-PF faced major problems. Above all, “dollarisation” meant that the cost of Zimbabwe’s exports on international markets was high. Worse, the dramatic collapse in agricultural production since the early 2000s (following the appropriation of white farms) alongside the decimation of the country’s manufacturing industries meant that there was relatively little to export anyway. Tobacco production has recovered a little, but the quality is less than it used to be, so returns are relatively less. Meanwhile, government insistence that mines should be 51 per cent Zimbabwean owned has done nothing to entice inward investment or boost exports. In short, the capacity of the economy to earn US dollars by selling goods externally has fallen dramatically, and the supply of money circulating within the country has dried up. Unemployment stands at around 90 per cent. President Robert Mugabe’s latest response has been to replace finance minister Patrick Chinamasa, who had been warning of the structure’s fragility in ever more urgent tones. The new finance minister is Ignatius Chombo, a party loyalist, who will brook no talk of any need for structural reform. The bond notes Faced with a looming crisis, the ZANU-PF government has resorted to three key strategies. One has been the issue of “bond notes” (of different denominations) by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Officially, they’re designed to swell the amount of money in circulation within the country. The problem is that apart from having no value outside the country, nobody trusts them as they have been issued by a ZANU-PF government, and it was this government that presided over the hyperinflation. ZANU-PF’s announcement that it was issuing bond notes was met with a run on the banks as depositors sought to withdraw dollars as fast as they could. Their assumption was that this was a government ploy to reintroduce the Zimbabwean dollar. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe responded by limiting the number of dollars individuals could withdraw. People are reluctant to use the bond notes. But they’re still sometimes forced to accept them because of the sheer shortage of “real” money. As a result, when they can, they rush off to the local bus station where they can sell them for dollars to currency traders – albeit illegally. The second strategy has been the rapid expansion of country’s ability to manage electronic transactions. Its aim has been to expand the amount of money in circulation without using up “real” dollars. Accordingly, government employees are now largely paid electronically. Similarly, government employees (and everyone else) now pay nearly all their bills within the country electronically. And Zimbabweans are rarely able to convert the notional sums of dollars they hold in the bank into real cash – unless they make use of the currency traders in illegal transactions. Meanwhile, with the rate of inflation continuing to rise combined with the widespread lack of faith in the banks, many Zimbabweans spend their bank balances on consumer goods as quickly as possible rather than attempting to “save”. After all, if times get hard, you won’t be able to get rid of your bond notes, but you may be able to sell your fridge. Fanciful financial system But it’s the third strategy which the government has pursued which is really fuelling a fanciful financial system. Since 2013, government expenditure has steadily increased year by year, despite the country earning very little internationally. The ZANU-PF government may have hoped to fund this by its old trick of literally printing money, that is, by expanding the supply of bond notes. But such was the negative popular sentiment that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe seems to have restricted their issue. Supposedly the issue of bond notes is backed by a USD$200 loan by the Afreximbank, but no-one really knows how many have been issued because the central bank provides no information. What the government has done instead is to fund its rising costs by issuing treasury bills (whereby the government touts for loans on the capital market against promises of later redemption). No-one in their right mind would want to buy them, but Zimbabwe’s banks today have little option. As inward investment into the country has dried up to a trickle, there is little else for them to spend their money on, and the interest rates that the government promises to pay are, at face value, attractively high. The coalition government of national unity recorded budget surpluses for three of the four full years in which the opposition controlled the Treasury. For its part, the ZANU-PF government recorded deficits of USD$186 million and USD$125 million in 2014 and 2015. Recently, the then finance minister Chinamasa projected a deficit of USD$1.41 billion for 2017. As of June 30, 2017, there were USD$2.5 billion worth of Treasury bills on the issue. In other words, the spending will continue. Zimbabwe’s financial system is living on borrowed time and borrowed money. It will again end in financial ruin, as it did in 2008. But all ZANU-PF cares about is ensuring that it wins the next election and allowing its political elite to “eat”. This article was originally published in The Conversation. Read the original article. Also read: Grace Mugabe flees Zimbabwe after army takes over: Reports Also read: Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot Also read: Main Zimbabwe newspaper completely misses news of coup Also read: Targeting criminals, not a military takeover of government: Zimbabwe military Also read: Zimbabwe: President Mugabe under house arrest, army denies coup

Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is in deep mess

The army has taken control of Zimbabwe and put&nbsp;President Robert Mugabe under house arrest.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/grace-mugabe-flees-zimbabwe-after-army-takes-over-reports-24301">President Mugabe&#39;s wife Grace has left the country</a> for neighbouring Namibia after reports of the army takeover of the southern African country, media reports said.

The military has, however, clarified that President Mugabe is safe and has denied staging a coup.

Neighbouring South Africa&#39;s President Jacob Zuma, one of Mugabe&#39;s closest allies, said he had spoken to the veteran leader by telephone.

Mugabe &quot;indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine,&quot; the South African government said in a statement that called for calm and restraint.

An army spokesman announced on the nation&#39;s broadcasting organization, ZBC, that President Mugabe was safe but did not disclose where he was being detained, the BBC report said.

The Army said it was targeting people close to Mr Mugabe who had caused &nbsp;&quot;social and economic suffering&quot;.

&quot;The president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed,&quot; Major General Sibusiso Moyo said, reading out a statement.

&quot;We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... As soon as we have accomplished our mission we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.&quot;

&quot;This is not a military takeover of government,&quot;&nbsp;Major General Sibusiso Moyo said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zimbabwes-robert-mugabe-liberation-hero-turned-despot-24292" target="_blank">Zimbabwe&#39;s Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot</a>

Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo has also been detained, a government source told Reuters.

Soldiers and armoured vehicles blocked roads to the main government offices, parliament and the courts in central Harare, a witness told Reuters. 
 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/targeting-criminals-not-a-military-takeover-of-government-zimbabwe-military-24236">Gunfire was heard near Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe&#39;s house in Harare earlier in the day</a>. Military officers had claimed they were not launching a coup but were &quot;targeting criminals around&quot; the president.

Military vehicles were seen on the streets at Harare, however, the army had denied a coup was underway.

A day earlier, the army had warned that it could intervene over a purge of ruling party officials.

The army&#39;s move comes after President Mugabe sacked his deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, in favour of his wife, Grace who has been vying to succeed her husband as president. Her&nbsp;succession is strongly opposed by senior ranks in the military.

The main goal of the generals appeared to be preventing Mugabe&#39;s wife Grace, 41 years his junior, from succeeding him, Reuters reported.

The Mugabe-led ZANU-PF party had recently accused General Constantino Chiwenga of &quot;treasonable conduct&quot; leading to tensions between the government and army.&nbsp;Speculation has been rife in Harare that Mugabe had sought to remove army chief Chiwenga, who is seen as an ally of ousted Mnangagwa.

Mugabe, 93, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/grace-mugabe-flees-zimbabwe-after-army-takes-over-reports-24301">Grace Mugabe flees Zimbabwe after army takes over: Reports</a>

Also read:&nbsp;Main <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/main-zimbabwe-newspaper-completely-misses-news-of-coup-24321">Zimbabwe newspaper completely misses news of coup</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mugabes-zimbabwe-is-in-deep-financial-mess-24272">Robert Mugabe&#39;s Zimbabwe is in deep mess</a>

The army has taken control in Zimbabwe including the state TV and detained President Robert Mugabe, the BBC reports

The army has taken control of Zimbabwe and put President Robert Mugabe under house arrest. President Mugabe's wife Grace has left the country for neighbouring Namibia after reports of the army takeover of the southern African country, media reports said. The military has, however, clarified that President Mugabe is safe and has denied staging a coup. Neighbouring South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, one of Mugabe's closest allies, said he had spoken to the veteran leader by telephone. Mugabe "indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine," the South African government said in a statement that called for calm and restraint. An army spokesman announced on the nation's broadcasting organization, ZBC, that President Mugabe was safe but did not disclose where he was being detained, the BBC report said. The Army said it was targeting people close to Mr Mugabe who had caused "social and economic suffering". "The president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed," Major General Sibusiso Moyo said, reading out a statement. "We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... As soon as we have accomplished our mission we expect that the situation will return to normalcy." "This is not a military takeover of government," Major General Sibusiso Moyo said. Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe: Liberation hero turned despot Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo has also been detained, a government source told Reuters. Soldiers and armoured vehicles blocked roads to the main government offices, parliament and the courts in central Harare, a witness told Reuters. Gunfire was heard near Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's house in Harare earlier in the day. Military officers had claimed they were not launching a coup but were "targeting criminals around" the president. Military vehicles were seen on the streets at Harare, however, the army had denied a coup was underway. A day earlier, the army had warned that it could intervene over a purge of ruling party officials. The army's move comes after President Mugabe sacked his deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, in favour of his wife, Grace who has been vying to succeed her husband as president. Her succession is strongly opposed by senior ranks in the military. The main goal of the generals appeared to be preventing Mugabe's wife Grace, 41 years his junior, from succeeding him, Reuters reported. The Mugabe-led ZANU-PF party had recently accused General Constantino Chiwenga of "treasonable conduct" leading to tensions between the government and army. Speculation has been rife in Harare that Mugabe had sought to remove army chief Chiwenga, who is seen as an ally of ousted Mnangagwa. Mugabe, 93, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. Also read: Grace Mugabe flees Zimbabwe after army takes over: Reports Also read: Main Zimbabwe newspaper completely misses news of coup Also read: Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is in deep mess

Zimbabwe: President Mugabe under house arrest, army denies coup

Zimbabwe police have arrested a journalist at a privately-owned daily over a story claiming that President Robert Mugabe&#39;s wife, Grace had donated second-hand underwear to supporters, lawyers said&nbsp;Tuesday.&nbsp;

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said that Kenneth Nyangani, a NewsDay journalist, was arrested&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;night &quot;for allegedly writing and publishing a story over the donation of some used undergarments by First Lady Grace Mugabe&quot;.&nbsp;

Nyangani was being detained in the eastern city of Mutare and is likely to face &quot;criminal defamation&quot; charges, the organisation said in a statement. He is yet to appear in court.&nbsp;

The NewsDay&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;reported that a ruling Zanu-PF lawmaker, Esau Mupfumi had over the weekend handed out clothes saying they were donated by Grace Mugabe.

&quot;I met the First Lady Grace Mugabe and I was given these clothes so that I can give you. I have briefs for you and I am told that most of your briefs are not in good shape, please come and collect your allocations today,&quot; the NewsDay quoted Mupfumi as saying.&nbsp;

&quot;We have nightdresses, sandals, and clothes, come and take, this is from your First Lady Grace Mugabe.&quot;&nbsp;

Zimbabwe&#39;s worsening economic crisis has forced many people to resort to buying second-hand clothes which are more affordable.&nbsp;

The used clothes that include undergarments are mostly imported from Mozambique after being shipped from Western nations.

Zimbabwe once banned the sale of second-hand clothes in 2015 but later lifted the ban.&nbsp;

The southern African country is facing money shortages and high unemployment blamed on long-ruling President Robert Mugabe economic policies.

Amnesty International has called for Nyangani&#39;s unconditional release, saying his arrest aimed at harassing and intimidating journalists.

&quot;The intention is to send a chilling message to journalists and media workers that they must self-censor rather than expose truths,&quot; it said in a statement.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/delay-in-civil-servants-salaries-hints-at-worsening-economic-crisis-in-zimbabwe-state-media-4829" target="_blank">Delay in civil servants&#39; salaries hints at worsening economic crisis in Zimbabwe: State media</a>

Lawyers said Kenneth Nyangani was arrested?'for allegedly writing... a story over the donation of some used undergarments by First Lady Grace Mugabe'

Zimbabwe police have arrested a journalist at a privately-owned daily over a story claiming that President Robert Mugabe's wife, Grace had donated second-hand underwear to supporters, lawyers said Tuesday. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said that Kenneth Nyangani, a NewsDay journalist, was arrested on Monday night "for allegedly writing and publishing a story over the donation of some used undergarments by First Lady Grace Mugabe". Nyangani was being detained in the eastern city of Mutare and is likely to face "criminal defamation" charges, the organisation said in a statement. He is yet to appear in court. The NewsDay on Monday reported that a ruling Zanu-PF lawmaker, Esau Mupfumi had over the weekend handed out clothes saying they were donated by Grace Mugabe. "I met the First Lady Grace Mugabe and I was given these clothes so that I can give you. I have briefs for you and I am told that most of your briefs are not in good shape, please come and collect your allocations today," the NewsDay quoted Mupfumi as saying. "We have nightdresses, sandals, and clothes, come and take, this is from your First Lady Grace Mugabe." Zimbabwe's worsening economic crisis has forced many people to resort to buying second-hand clothes which are more affordable. The used clothes that include undergarments are mostly imported from Mozambique after being shipped from Western nations. Zimbabwe once banned the sale of second-hand clothes in 2015 but later lifted the ban. The southern African country is facing money shortages and high unemployment blamed on long-ruling President Robert Mugabe economic policies. Amnesty International has called for Nyangani's unconditional release, saying his arrest aimed at harassing and intimidating journalists. "The intention is to send a chilling message to journalists and media workers that they must self-censor rather than expose truths," it said in a statement. Also read: Delay in civil servants' salaries hints at worsening economic crisis in Zimbabwe: State media

Zimbabwe arrests journalist over 'used' Grace Mugabe underwear

&nbsp;South African police have put a &quot;red alert&quot; on the country&#39;s borders to prevent any attempted flight by Zimbabwean first lady Grace&nbsp;Mugabe, who is accused of assaulting a model in a Johannesburg hotel with an electric cable.

Her 93-year-old husband, President Robert&nbsp;Mugabe, is also in South Africa for a regional summit, complicating the diplomatic dilemma confronting Pretoria, which already has a difficult relationship with its troubled northern neighbour.

South Africa is home to an estimated three million Zimbabweans who accuse&nbsp;Mugabe&nbsp;of trashing a promising African democracy but Pretoria has been powerless to prevent Zimbabwe&#39;s economic and political decline over the last two decades.

Grace&nbsp;Mugabe, 52, has asked for diplomatic immunity in the case but has not been charged. Her whereabouts were not known on Thursday although police minister Fikile Mbalula said she remained in the country.

The alleged victim, 20-year-old Gabriella Engels, has accused&nbsp;Mugabe&nbsp;of barging into a hotel room on Sunday where Engels was waiting to meet one of&nbsp;Mugabe&#39;s sons, and whipping her with an electric extension cable.

Mugabe&nbsp;had been due to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon under a deal struck with authorities but failed to turn up, police said.

On Thursday, Mbalula said a &quot;red alert&quot; had been issued to South African border posts to prevent Grace&nbsp;Mugabe&nbsp;fleeing.

&quot;We had already put tabs on the borders, in relation to her leaving the country, so there&#39;s no question about that,&quot; he said. So far she had made no attempt to flee, he added.

The South African government has made no official comment on the case and foreign ministry spokesmen have not answered their phones for two days but the issue is causing waves at the highest level.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha told Reuters he was attending a meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the matter but declined to give details.

Police have said Grace will get no special treatment, and Engels&#39; mother, Debbie, is cranking up the public pressure, including releasing graphic pictures of her daughter&#39;s head injuries that required 14 stitches.

On Thursday, it emerged that she had also enlisted the legal help of Gerrie Nel, the former state prosecutor who secured a murder conviction against track star Oscar Pistorius.

At a news conference, Nel said the Engels family had been offered cash to drop the case but had turned it down.

&quot;It&#39;s not about money. It&#39;s about justice,&quot; he said.

Nicknamed &quot;The Pitbull&quot; for his combative style in the blockbuster Pistorius trial, he also said detectives had told Engels they were seeking an arrest warrant for&nbsp;Mugabe.

&#39;Diplomatic immunity&#39;

However, a senior police source said Nel was jumping the gun because of&nbsp;Mugabe&#39;s application for diplomatic immunity.

&quot;We are not preparing an arrest warrant yet,&quot; the source said. &quot;Our investigations were completed but before we could take the next step, the suspect applied to invoke diplomatic immunity. We are waiting the outcome before we can move on to the next step.&quot;

Mugabe&nbsp;came to South Africa for medical treatment to an injured foot, almost certainly invalidating her claims to diplomatic immunity, legal experts said.

However, given the potential diplomatic fallout, prosecutors could decide not to pursue the case if they thought the injuries to the alleged victim were not too severe, criminal attorney Riaan Louw said.

Harare has made no official comment and requests for comment from Zimbabwean government officials have gone unanswered.

A lawyer identified to Reuters as Mrs&nbsp;Mugabe&#39;s representative declined to answer any questions. Zimbabwe&#39;s ambassador to Pretoria, Isaac Moyo, did not answer his phone.

Reporting Robert&nbsp;Mugabe&#39;s visit to South Africa, Zimbabwe&#39;s Herald newspaper, the government&#39;s main mouthpiece, made no mention of the controversy swirling around his wife, which puts Pretoria in a diplomatic bind.

Mugabe&nbsp;is seen by many Africans as the continent&#39;s elder statesman and a hero of its anti-colonial struggles but Nelson Mandela accused him in 2008 of a &quot;tragic failure of leadership&quot; and Mugabe&#39;s relationship with President Jacob Zuma has been testy at times.

For Debbie Engels, the only issue is getting Grace&nbsp;Mugabe&nbsp;to face the law.

&quot;She had an electric cord wrapped around her hand and she started attacking them. She hit my daughter with a plug socket,&quot; Engels told Reuters. &quot;I just want justice for my daughter. It&#39;s not about money. It&#39;s about justice.

&nbsp;

 
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20-year-old model, Gabriella Engels, has accused?the first lady of Zimbabwe?of barging into a hotel room on Sunday where Engels was waiting to meet one of?Mugabe's sons, and whipping her with an electric extension cable

South African police have put a "red alert" on the country's borders to prevent any attempted flight by Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe, who is accused of assaulting a model in a Johannesburg hotel with an electric cable. Her 93-year-old husband, President Robert Mugabe, is also in South Africa for a regional summit, complicating the diplomatic dilemma confronting Pretoria, which already has a difficult relationship with its troubled northern neighbour. South Africa is home to an estimated three million Zimbabweans who accuse Mugabe of trashing a promising African democracy but Pretoria has been powerless to prevent Zimbabwe's economic and political decline over the last two decades. Grace Mugabe, 52, has asked for diplomatic immunity in the case but has not been charged. Her whereabouts were not known on Thursday although police minister Fikile Mbalula said she remained in the country. The alleged victim, 20-year-old Gabriella Engels, has accused Mugabe of barging into a hotel room on Sunday where Engels was waiting to meet one of Mugabe's sons, and whipping her with an electric extension cable. Mugabe had been due to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon under a deal struck with authorities but failed to turn up, police said. On Thursday, Mbalula said a "red alert" had been issued to South African border posts to prevent Grace Mugabe fleeing. "We had already put tabs on the borders, in relation to her leaving the country, so there's no question about that," he said. So far she had made no attempt to flee, he added. The South African government has made no official comment on the case and foreign ministry spokesmen have not answered their phones for two days but the issue is causing waves at the highest level. Justice Minister Michael Masutha told Reuters he was attending a meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the matter but declined to give details. Police have said Grace will get no special treatment, and Engels' mother, Debbie, is cranking up the public pressure, including releasing graphic pictures of her daughter's head injuries that required 14 stitches. On Thursday, it emerged that she had also enlisted the legal help of Gerrie Nel, the former state prosecutor who secured a murder conviction against track star Oscar Pistorius. At a news conference, Nel said the Engels family had been offered cash to drop the case but had turned it down. "It's not about money. It's about justice," he said. Nicknamed "The Pitbull" for his combative style in the blockbuster Pistorius trial, he also said detectives had told Engels they were seeking an arrest warrant for Mugabe. 'Diplomatic immunity' However, a senior police source said Nel was jumping the gun because of Mugabe's application for diplomatic immunity. "We are not preparing an arrest warrant yet," the source said. "Our investigations were completed but before we could take the next step, the suspect applied to invoke diplomatic immunity. We are waiting the outcome before we can move on to the next step." Mugabe came to South Africa for medical treatment to an injured foot, almost certainly invalidating her claims to diplomatic immunity, legal experts said. However, given the potential diplomatic fallout, prosecutors could decide not to pursue the case if they thought the injuries to the alleged victim were not too severe, criminal attorney Riaan Louw said. Harare has made no official comment and requests for comment from Zimbabwean government officials have gone unanswered. A lawyer identified to Reuters as Mrs Mugabe's representative declined to answer any questions. Zimbabwe's ambassador to Pretoria, Isaac Moyo, did not answer his phone. Reporting Robert Mugabe's visit to South Africa, Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper, the government's main mouthpiece, made no mention of the controversy swirling around his wife, which puts Pretoria in a diplomatic bind. Mugabe is seen by many Africans as the continent's elder statesman and a hero of its anti-colonial struggles but Nelson Mandela accused him in 2008 of a "tragic failure of leadership" and Mugabe's relationship with President Jacob Zuma has been testy at times. For Debbie Engels, the only issue is getting Grace Mugabe to face the law. "She had an electric cord wrapped around her hand and she started attacking them. She hit my daughter with a plug socket," Engels told Reuters. "I just want justice for my daughter. It's not about money. It's about justice.

South Africa borders on 'red alert' for Grace Mugabe

Zimbabwe on Monday starts issuing &quot;bond notes&quot;, its own currency equivalent to the US dollar in a bid to ease critical cash shortages amid widespread fears of a return to hyperinflation.

The crisis-hit southern African country has used multiple foreign currencies, including the greenback since 2009 after a rate of inflation that peaked at 500 billion per cent rendered the Zimbabwe dollar unusable. The introduction of $2 and $5 bond notes into circulation follows the issuing of bond coins over a year ago to ease shortages of change in smaller denominations.

The country has experienced a severe shortage of US dollar banknotes in recent months which forced President Robert Mugabe&#39;s government to print what locals have dubbed &quot;surrogate money&quot;.

&quot;Citizens are generally opposed to the introduction of bond notes because they are still smarting from the death of the Zimbabwe dollar, which was abandoned in 2009 due to hyperinflation,&quot; said an editorial in the weekly independent newspaper The Standard. &quot;The government has been arrogant, dismissing those opposed to the surrogate money as unpatriotic. As we have warned the government before, a currency can only be sustained through confidence it inspires on the market.&quot;

The central bank has launched a media advertising blitz trying to allay people&#39;s fears, saying retailers and businesses have agreed to accept the bond notes. The introduction of bond notes stoked fears of gas shortages over the past week and queues surfaced at some fuel stations. The government sought to calm panicking drivers, saying the country has enough fuel stocks.&nbsp;

&quot;We wish to assure the nation that there is no basis for alleging that the country will go dry in terms of fuel supply,&quot; it said in a statement at the weekend.

Depositors will be limited to a maximum withdrawal of $150 a week. The 2009 switch to foreign currencies saw relative economic stability before the economy began to falter again as government policies deterred investors.

The economic decline has worsened in recent months with banks running short of cash, forcing desperate depositors to sleep overnight outside branches to be sure of accessing their money.

Those businesses that have weathered Zimbabwe&#39;s successive economic storms are grinding to a halt as the government repeatedly fails to pay soldiers and civil servants on time. The introduction of bond notes has also stirred anger that has erupted into street protests.

In the past fortnight several activists were beaten up and arrested ahead of a planned street protest to oppose the introduction of the notes. The government said the new notes will be backed by a $200 million support facility provided by the Cairo-based Afreximbank (Africa Export-Import Bank).

(AFP)

The economic decline in the country has worsened in recent months with banks running short of cash

Zimbabwe on Monday starts issuing "bond notes", its own currency equivalent to the US dollar in a bid to ease critical cash shortages amid widespread fears of a return to hyperinflation. The crisis-hit southern African country has used multiple foreign currencies, including the greenback since 2009 after a rate of inflation that peaked at 500 billion per cent rendered the Zimbabwe dollar unusable. The introduction of $2 and $5 bond notes into circulation follows the issuing of bond coins over a year ago to ease shortages of change in smaller denominations. The country has experienced a severe shortage of US dollar banknotes in recent months which forced President Robert Mugabe's government to print what locals have dubbed "surrogate money". "Citizens are generally opposed to the introduction of bond notes because they are still smarting from the death of the Zimbabwe dollar, which was abandoned in 2009 due to hyperinflation," said an editorial in the weekly independent newspaper The Standard. "The government has been arrogant, dismissing those opposed to the surrogate money as unpatriotic. As we have warned the government before, a currency can only be sustained through confidence it inspires on the market." The central bank has launched a media advertising blitz trying to allay people's fears, saying retailers and businesses have agreed to accept the bond notes. The introduction of bond notes stoked fears of gas shortages over the past week and queues surfaced at some fuel stations. The government sought to calm panicking drivers, saying the country has enough fuel stocks. "We wish to assure the nation that there is no basis for alleging that the country will go dry in terms of fuel supply," it said in a statement at the weekend. Depositors will be limited to a maximum withdrawal of $150 a week. The 2009 switch to foreign currencies saw relative economic stability before the economy began to falter again as government policies deterred investors. The economic decline has worsened in recent months with banks running short of cash, forcing desperate depositors to sleep overnight outside branches to be sure of accessing their money. Those businesses that have weathered Zimbabwe's successive economic storms are grinding to a halt as the government repeatedly fails to pay soldiers and civil servants on time. The introduction of bond notes has also stirred anger that has erupted into street protests. In the past fortnight several activists were beaten up and arrested ahead of a planned street protest to oppose the introduction of the notes. The government said the new notes will be backed by a $200 million support facility provided by the Cairo-based Afreximbank (Africa Export-Import Bank). (AFP)

Zimbabwe rolls out 'surrogate' dollars amid cash shortage

Sri Lanka ended Zimbabwe&#39;s day-long resistance seven overs from the end of play to grab victory by 225 runs on the final day of the first test at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe were bowled for 186 runs in their second innings within sight of what would have been a morale boosting draw. Sri Lanka&#39;s Dilruwan Perera and stand-in skipper Rangana Herath took three wickets each with Perera bowling out tailender Chris Mpofu in the 91st over of Zimbabwe`s second innings to clinch victory despite a gallant knock by captain Graeme Cremer, who followed up a first innings century with a stubborn 43.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka declared their second innings as expected at the start of the day on 247 for six, leaving 98 overs to bowl out the hosts, who were set a near-impossible target of 412 to win.&nbsp;

Zimbabwe&rsquo;s openers saw off the first 16 overs before Brian Chari was bowled for 10 and they then lost four wickets in 23 balls before lunch. Sean Williams&#39; 40 took

Zimbabwe to 136-6 at tea but he was dismissed in the first over of the last session.

Cremer saw Zimbabwe into the final hour before being stumped for the ninth wicket with 10 overs left.

&quot;We are definitely upset that we couldn`t last the (final) couple of overs. But to last that long was good for test cricket and there are a lot of positives to take from it,&rdquo; said Cremer.

(Reuters)

Zimbabwe were bowled for 186 runs in their second innings while Sri Lanka declared their second innings at the start of the day on 247

Sri Lanka ended Zimbabwe's day-long resistance seven overs from the end of play to grab victory by 225 runs on the final day of the first test at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday. Zimbabwe were bowled for 186 runs in their second innings within sight of what would have been a morale boosting draw. Sri Lanka's Dilruwan Perera and stand-in skipper Rangana Herath took three wickets each with Perera bowling out tailender Chris Mpofu in the 91st over of Zimbabwe`s second innings to clinch victory despite a gallant knock by captain Graeme Cremer, who followed up a first innings century with a stubborn 43. Sri Lanka declared their second innings as expected at the start of the day on 247 for six, leaving 98 overs to bowl out the hosts, who were set a near-impossible target of 412 to win. Zimbabwe’s openers saw off the first 16 overs before Brian Chari was bowled for 10 and they then lost four wickets in 23 balls before lunch. Sean Williams' 40 took Zimbabwe to 136-6 at tea but he was dismissed in the first over of the last session. Cremer saw Zimbabwe into the final hour before being stumped for the ninth wicket with 10 overs left. "We are definitely upset that we couldn`t last the (final) couple of overs. But to last that long was good for test cricket and there are a lot of positives to take from it,” said Cremer. (Reuters)

Cricket: Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 225 runs in first test

Zimbabwe is aiming to dehorn its rhino population to avoid poaching, a wildlife conservation group told Reuters on Tuesday. 
 
The African country has a population of 700 strong rhinos. As many as 50 Rhinos were killed illegally in Zimbabwe last year. However, entire Africa, especially South Africa, experienced a loss of 1,305 rhinos during the same time, the group added. 
 
&quot;We want to send a message to poachers that they will not get much if they come to Zimbabwe. The park&#39;s policy is to dehorn all the rhinos,&quot; said Lisa Marabini, who is the director of operations with Aware Trust Zimbabwe, to Reuters. 
 
Aware Trust Zimbabwe is one of the two organisations helping the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to dehorn the Rhinos. 
 
It costs $1,200 to retrieve the horn which is mostly used in traditional medicine in Asia.&nbsp; 
 
Zimbabwe has 100 of these Rhinos living in the government-run parks while the remaining reside in private wildlife sanctuaries. 
 
Killing a Rhino will put a poacher in jail for nine years in Zimbabwe. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

'We want to send a message to poachers that they will not get much if they come to Zimbabwe,' said an organisation dehorning the Rhinos

Zimbabwe is aiming to dehorn its rhino population to avoid poaching, a wildlife conservation group told Reuters on Tuesday. The African country has a population of 700 strong rhinos. As many as 50 Rhinos were killed illegally in Zimbabwe last year. However, entire Africa, especially South Africa, experienced a loss of 1,305 rhinos during the same time, the group added. "We want to send a message to poachers that they will not get much if they come to Zimbabwe. The park's policy is to dehorn all the rhinos," said Lisa Marabini, who is the director of operations with Aware Trust Zimbabwe, to Reuters. Aware Trust Zimbabwe is one of the two organisations helping the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to dehorn the Rhinos. It costs $1,200 to retrieve the horn which is mostly used in traditional medicine in Asia. Zimbabwe has 100 of these Rhinos living in the government-run parks while the remaining reside in private wildlife sanctuaries. Killing a Rhino will put a poacher in jail for nine years in Zimbabwe. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Zimbabwe to dehorn 700 rhinos to shut out poachers

Zimbabwe police used riot-control measures to&nbsp;clamp&nbsp;down on supporters of electoral reforms in Harare on Friday, with the country&#39;s&nbsp;President Robert Mugabe saying that an Arab Spring-styled uprising would not happen in the country.&nbsp; 
 
The march for electoral reforms turned violent when police deployed&nbsp;tear gas and water cannons to&nbsp;disperse the protesters. The protesters retaliated by&nbsp;pelting stones at policemen and setting tyres ablaze. Some of the protesters also pulled down a sign of road named after Mugabe. 
 
Police broke the protest despite the court&#39;s order not to do so. Around 67 people have been arrested by Zimbabwean authorities. 
 
Ninety two-year-old Mugabe has been under increasing pressure to bring electoral reforms in the 2018 polls. It is expected that Mugabe, who has ruled the South African nation since 1987, will seek reelection that year.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They are burning tyres in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here,&quot; the nonagenarian said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;What politics is that when you burn tyres? We want peace in the country,&quot; he further said. 
 
Eighteen opposition parties have joined hands to demand changes in the electoral process. Opposition parties include&nbsp;the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the&nbsp;Zimbabwe&nbsp;People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru. 
 
The opposition leaders unanimously denounced the suppression of the march, and said it only emboldenend them to stage more such protests.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday,&quot; former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa said, adding that protests will continue &quot;until the day we vote&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule,&quot; he said, referring to the&nbsp;Zimbabwe African National Union &ndash; Patriotic Front, the country&#39;s ruling party led by Mugabe. &nbsp;

Tsvangirai was equally scathing.&nbsp;&quot;The people&#39;s anger is very deep. The people&#39;s desperation is very deep,&quot; he said. 
 
Saying that the Mugabe regime was in its &quot;sunset hour&quot;, he said the &quot;brutal suppression&quot; on citizens would backfire on them. 
 
&quot;The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Mugabe&#39;s opponents have for long criticised the way elections are held in the country. Tsvangirai has, in the past, questioned the neutrality of the electoral commission, lamented absence of voters&#39; roll&nbsp;and possibility of bogus voting. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Police deployed?tear gas and water cannons to?disperse protesters who retaliated by?pelting stones and setting tyres ablaze

Zimbabwe police used riot-control measures to clamp down on supporters of electoral reforms in Harare on Friday, with the country's President Robert Mugabe saying that an Arab Spring-styled uprising would not happen in the country. The march for electoral reforms turned violent when police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. The protesters retaliated by pelting stones at policemen and setting tyres ablaze. Some of the protesters also pulled down a sign of road named after Mugabe. Police broke the protest despite the court's order not to do so. Around 67 people have been arrested by Zimbabwean authorities. Ninety two-year-old Mugabe has been under increasing pressure to bring electoral reforms in the 2018 polls. It is expected that Mugabe, who has ruled the South African nation since 1987, will seek reelection that year. "They are burning tyres in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here," the nonagenarian said. "What politics is that when you burn tyres? We want peace in the country," he further said. Eighteen opposition parties have joined hands to demand changes in the electoral process. Opposition parties include the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru. The opposition leaders unanimously denounced the suppression of the march, and said it only emboldenend them to stage more such protests. "If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday," former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa said, adding that protests will continue "until the day we vote". "We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule," he said, referring to the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, the country's ruling party led by Mugabe. Tsvangirai was equally scathing. "The people's anger is very deep. The people's desperation is very deep," he said. Saying that the Mugabe regime was in its "sunset hour", he said the "brutal suppression" on citizens would backfire on them. "The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions," he said. Mugabe's opponents have for long criticised the way elections are held in the country. Tsvangirai has, in the past, questioned the neutrality of the electoral commission, lamented absence of voters' roll and possibility of bogus voting. (WION with inputs from agencies)

As protest turns violent, Mugabe says there'll be no Arab Spring-style uprising

Zimbabwe&#39;s cash-strapped government will once again delay paying the salaries of civil servants for this month, state media reported today, in a further sign of the worsening economic crisis. 
 
The delays are likely to spark further discontent among the public service employees who are already battling to cope with the increasing cost of living. 
 
In July, government employees staged a strike over late pay, after going for weeks without income. 
 
The Herald newspaper reported that August salaries for army personnel, police, teachers and health workers would be delayed by at least a week. 
 
&quot;It is a fact that we have revenue challenges,&quot; Prisca Mupfumira, the country&#39;s public service minister, told the newspaper when announcing the new pay dates. 
 
The military are normally the first priority for payment due to their role in protecting the regime of President Robert Mugabe, 92. 
 
They are normally paid on the 14th or 15th of every month. 
 
Mupfumira said the army would get their salaries on August 23, health personnel on the 26th, followed by police on the 30th. 
 
The teachers would get paid on September 2 and the rest of the civil service on September 5. 
 
In June only police and security forces were paid, while other civil servants received a $100 advance with the news their salaries had been delayed. 
 
The government has in the past months been announcing varying pay dates for each month for different government departments. 
 
Zimbabwe spends at least 80 per cent of its revenue on state workers&#39; wages, according to officials, while about 90 per cent of the population has no formal employment. 
 
(AFP)

The delays are likely to spark further discontent among the public service employees who are already coping with increasing cost of living

Zimbabwe's cash-strapped government will once again delay paying the salaries of civil servants for this month, state media reported today, in a further sign of the worsening economic crisis. The delays are likely to spark further discontent among the public service employees who are already battling to cope with the increasing cost of living. In July, government employees staged a strike over late pay, after going for weeks without income. The Herald newspaper reported that August salaries for army personnel, police, teachers and health workers would be delayed by at least a week. "It is a fact that we have revenue challenges," Prisca Mupfumira, the country's public service minister, told the newspaper when announcing the new pay dates. The military are normally the first priority for payment due to their role in protecting the regime of President Robert Mugabe, 92. They are normally paid on the 14th or 15th of every month. Mupfumira said the army would get their salaries on August 23, health personnel on the 26th, followed by police on the 30th. The teachers would get paid on September 2 and the rest of the civil service on September 5. In June only police and security forces were paid, while other civil servants received a $100 advance with the news their salaries had been delayed. The government has in the past months been announcing varying pay dates for each month for different government departments. Zimbabwe spends at least 80 per cent of its revenue on state workers' wages, according to officials, while about 90 per cent of the population has no formal employment. (AFP)

Delay in civil servants' salaries hints at worsening economic crisis in Zimbabwe: State media

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