Mugabe fired as ZANU-PF party leader

david nganga

November 19, 2017 12:20 PM

He has been replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the deputy he sacked this month.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been fired as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party and replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the deputy he sacked this month.

“He has been expelled,” one of the delegates told Reuters. “Mnangagwa is our new leader.” Three other delegates confirmed Mugabe’s dismissal.

Mugabe’s 52-year-old wife Grace, who had harbored ambitions of succeeding her husband, was also expelled from the party, along with at least three cabinet ministers who had formed the backbone of her ‘G40’ political faction.

The party gave the 93 year old less than 24 hours to quit as head of state or face impeachment.

War veterans' leader Chris Mutsvangwa threatened to unleash the mob onto Mugabe if he refused to go.

“We will bring back the crowds and they will do their business,”said Mutsvangwa who addressed the press moments before the 200 ZANU-PF delegates packed into the party’s Harare headquarters to seal the fate of Mugabe.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters flooded Zimbabwe's streets celebrating President Robert Mugabe's expected downfall ahead of crunch talks between Mugabe and the military who seized power from him.

In scenes of public euphoria not seen since independence in 1980, huge crowds marched, danced and sang their way through the capital Harare and other cities, demanding that Mugabe, 93, finally step down.

The protests came after an unprecedented week in which the military seized power and put Mugabe under house arrest in response to his sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

david nganga