Alternative Africa

Top Menu

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Reports
    • Africa-Observers
      • Read Reports
      • Submit a story
  • MORE
    • Health
    • News Now
    • World
    • Technology
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us

logo

Alternative Africa

  • Home
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Reports
    • Africa-Observers
      • Read Reports
      • Submit a story
  • MORE
    • Health
    • News Now
    • World
    • Technology
  • Meghan contemplated suicide after Royal family expresses ‘concerns’ about how dark Archie could be

  • EU medicine regulator urges caution on Russia’s Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine

  • Equatorial Guinea: 20 dead, 600 wounded after dynamite explosions at army base

  • Zimbabwe on track to meet $12bn mining target -Minister

  • Kenyan capital, Nairobi to get six more commuter trains

News NowWorld
Home›News Now›Robert Mugabe resigns as Zimbabwe’s president

Robert Mugabe resigns as Zimbabwe’s president

By alternativeafrica
November 21, 2017
778
0
Share:

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has submitted his resignation after nearly four decades as the country’s leader.

Mugabe defied demands to step down for almost a week after a military takeover and expulsion from his own ruling ZANU-PF party but stepped down on Tuesday, hours after parliament started an impeachment process.

Cheers broke out in the parliament after speaker Jacob Mudenda read out Mugabe’s resignation letter.

“I Robert Gabriel Mugabe in terms of section 96 of the constitution of Zimbabwe hereby formally tender my resignation … with immediate effect,” said Mudenda, reading the letter.

#MugabeResigns https://t.co/Z9Rl01JZKS pic.twitter.com/Ri1kbTRuM5


— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 21, 2017



Harare residents celebrate after Mugabe’s resignation [Mike Hutchings/Reuters]

The news also sparked scenes of jubilation in the capital, Harare, as large crowds cheered, danced and sang celebrating Mugabe’s departure for hours.

“People are coming out onto the streets, they are calling this day Independence Day,” Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said. 

{articleGUID}

“It’s getting chaotic,” she added. “Some people still can’t believe this has happened. People say they are really excited and hoping for a better future.”

At Harare’s Rainbow Towers, crowds cheered as a picture of Mugabe – hung in most public business premises – was taken down.

Celebrations also erupted in central Johannesburg, in neighbouring South Africa, as Zimbabweans there also took to the streets to cheer on the news.

Mugabe’s resignation brought an end to the impeachment process initiated by ZANU-PF after its Central Committee voted to dismiss him as party leader.



Zimbabweans celebrate outside the parliament building in Harare [Ben Curtis/The Associated Press]

New era

Mugabe, 93, led Zimbabwe’s fight for independence in the 1970s.

He came to power in 1980 and his 37-year rule was criticised for repression of dissent, election rigging, and for causing the country’s economic collapse.

“Ever since I was born, I have never thought that I would see this day,” Anthony Mutambirwa, a Harare resident, told Al Jazeera as news of Mugabe’s resignation spread.

“I’m so glad. For 37 years, we have been suffering.”

Mugabe’s departure capped a historic week which saw the military seizing power, intervening in party politics over his succession.

Even though Mugabe’s resignation letter did not specify who will succeed him, the most likely successor is ousted Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking on November 6 triggered the turmoil.

{articleGUID}

Before their falling out, Mnangagwa, who has close ties with the army, had for decades been a faithful Mugabe lieutenant.

Nicknamed “The Crocodile”, he was often described as the president’s enforcer and few would describe him as a democrat.

Mnangagwa is expected to become, within the next 48 hours, Zimbabwe’s interim leader ahead of elections scheduled for next year.

“We expect Mnangagwa to play the game fairly,” Paddington Japa Japa, an opposition member of parliament, told Al Jazeera in Harare.

“If he is not going to play the game fairly, we will take him on also. We are sick and tired of ZANU-PF’s rule.”

Mudenda, the speaker, said parliament would now ensure the “proper legal processes are put in place so that the country can proceed forward” and elect a new president.



Soldiers and civilians pose for pictures outside the ZANU-PF headquarters [Tendai Marima/Al Jazeera] [Al Jazeera]

‘Overjoyed’

In a surprise move, Zimbabwe’s military seized power on November 15, saying it wanted to “target criminals” around the 93-year-old who were leading the ruling ZANU-PF party and state astray.

Both the army and the influential war veterans’ association were afraid Mugabe might hand power to his wife, Grace, seen as Mnangagwa’s main opponent in the ZANU-PF’s succession battle.




The rise and fall of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe

In a rare sign of solidarity between the people and the army, which has often been a pillar of support for Mugabe’s rule, tens of thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets on Saturday to express support for the military’s operation.

“Over the years, the army has been accused of being implicit with Mugabe,” said Al Jazeera’s Mutasa.

“People wanted Mugabe to go, so the only way to do this was to work with the military.”

Victor Chifodya, a former Harare councillor, said he was “overjoyed at the news” of Mugabe’s resignation.

“Mugabe was a very divisive man but now people from all political parties have come together to make him resign,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Now we can start a new Zimbabwe,” added Chifodya.

However, some expressed concern about what a Mnangagwa presidency may bring.

“People don’t know this, but he worked together with Mugabe for 57 years,” Garikai Charambarara, a Harare resident, told Al Jazeera.

“Probably people are thinking he is one of the better devils, but, again, let’s take it from there.”

With reporting from Tendai Marima in Harare. Follow her on Twitter: @i_amten



Victor Chifodya, with his friend Justin Mwanambu, dance in celebration [Tendai Marima/Al Jazeera] 



Cheering crowds outside the Rainbow Towers hotel in Harare  Tendai Marima/Al Jazeera [Al Jazeera]
SHARE ON:
TagsBreakingNewsWorld
Previous Article

Mugabe ‘resignation’ sparks dancing in the street

Next Article

A New Future for the Chibok Girls ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

alternativeafrica

Related articles More from author

  • News Now

    Jacob Zuma Prepares to Depart a Diminished A.N.C.

    December 16, 2017
    By alternativeafrica
  • News Now

    DR Congo’s Kasai conflict: ‘Millions face starvation without aid’

    October 29, 2017
    By alternativeafrica
  • News NowWorld

    Lebanon’s power players

    November 4, 2017
    By alternativeafrica
  • News Now

    Migrant crisis: Panorama finds women swallowing dollars

    September 18, 2017
    By alternativeafrica
  • BusinessNews Now

    Nigeria: FG tells states to pay backlog of salaries before accessing $2.69 billion Paris Club Refund

    September 11, 2018
    By alternativeafrica
  • News Now

    Wars killed 5 million African children over 20 years, says study

    September 2, 2018
    By alternativeafrica

Leave a reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You might be interested

  • AfricaHealthNews Now

    Nigeria to grow 5,000 hectares of medicinal plants to fight various diseases

  • AfricaHealthNews Now

    South Africa records more than 100 coronavirus deaths in a day

  • HealthNews Now

    U.S spent over $4bn on HIV and AIDS in Nigeria

Timeline

  • March 8, 2021

    Meghan contemplated suicide after Royal family expresses ‘concerns’ about how dark Archie could be

  • March 8, 2021

    EU medicine regulator urges caution on Russia’s Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine

  • March 8, 2021

    Equatorial Guinea: 20 dead, 600 wounded after dynamite explosions at army base

  • March 8, 2021

    Zimbabwe on track to meet $12bn mining target -Minister

  • March 8, 2021

    Kenyan capital, Nairobi to get six more commuter trains

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Lagos govt confirms first case of deadly coronavirus infection in Nigeria

    By alternativeafrica
    February 28, 2020
  • Keynote Address of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at 2018 Oxford Africa Conference

    By PSJ Africa
    May 14, 2018
  • Morocco begins regional integration by connecting Casablanca Airport with High Speed Train

    By alternativeafrica
    January 4, 2020
  • Kenyan govt pressure Facebook for data on Kenyan users

    By alternativeafrica
    November 20, 2019
  • Nigeria: 32,000 capacity Lagos rice mill to start production in 2020

    By alternativeafrica
    December 23, 2019
  • Ado zagi
    on
    January 12, 2021

    Nigeria: EFCC Academy to begin award of degree

    Diploma leave areply from
  • Ethiopia joins Africa's Artificial Intelligence revolution | Alternative Africa
    on
    October 2, 2020

    Spending on Artificial Intelligence Systems in Africa, Middle East to top $374 million in 2020

    […] Many African countries ...
  • The 5 most popular Africans 2020
    on
    September 25, 2020

    Celebrating Congolese doctor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the man behind breakthrough of Ebola cure

    […] Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe ...
  • Millitants in Central Mali Set Jail Ablaze in Attack Killing Two | taktik(z) GDI (Government Defense ...
    on
    August 11, 2020

    Fifteen gendarmes killed in another attack on Mali camp

    […] attack fol­lowed a January ...
  • Millitants in Central Mali Set Jail Ablaze in Attack Killing Two
    on
    August 11, 2020

    Fifteen gendarmes killed in another attack on Mali camp

    […] attack followed a ...
AlternativeAfrica.com is an independent Pan African News Website dedicated primarily to influencing the negative narratives about Africa. We hope to do this by focusing and showcasing the many developmental strides sweeping across the continent.

Read more >>>

Contact Info

  • info@alternativeafrica.com
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Meghan contemplated suicide after Royal family expresses ‘concerns’ about how dark Archie could be

    By alternativeafrica
    March 8, 2021
  • EU medicine regulator urges caution on Russia’s Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine

    By alternativeafrica
    March 8, 2021
  • Equatorial Guinea: 20 dead, 600 wounded after dynamite explosions at army base

    By alternativeafrica
    March 8, 2021
  • Zimbabwe on track to meet $12bn mining target -Minister

    By alternativeafrica
    March 8, 2021
  • Lagos govt confirms first case of deadly coronavirus infection in Nigeria

    By alternativeafrica
    February 28, 2020
  • Keynote Address of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at 2018 Oxford Africa Conference

    By PSJ Africa
    May 14, 2018
  • Macron in Ivory Coast to launch anti-terrorism academy

    By alternativeafrica
    December 21, 2019
  • Kenyan govt pressure Facebook for data on Kenyan users

    By alternativeafrica
    November 20, 2019
  • Ado zagi
    on
    January 12, 2021

    Nigeria: EFCC Academy to begin award of degree

    Diploma leave areply from
  • Ethiopia joins Africa's Artificial Intelligence revolution | Alternative Africa
    on
    October 2, 2020

    Spending on Artificial Intelligence Systems in Africa, Middle East to top $374 million in 2020

    […] Many African countries ...
  • The 5 most popular Africans 2020
    on
    September 25, 2020

    Celebrating Congolese doctor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the man behind breakthrough of Ebola cure

    […] Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe ...
  • Millitants in Central Mali Set Jail Ablaze in Attack Killing Two | taktik(z) GDI (Government Defense ...
    on
    August 11, 2020

    Fifteen gendarmes killed in another attack on Mali camp

    […] attack fol­lowed a January ...

Photostream

    Follow us

    • Home
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
    © Copyright Alternative Africa 2019. All rights reserved.