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
  • Eight injured after suspected terrorist attack in Sweden

  • Interpol raises alarm after China, South Africa seize large consignment of fake coronavirus vaccines

  • Rwanda govt turns to power tillers to help small farmers mechanize agriculture

  • Covax floods Africa with vaccines to curtail emerging resurgence of covid-19 virus

  • Covid-19: World Bank readies emergency vaccine fund for 30 African countries

News Now
Home›News Now›Fergal Keane: Mugabe has gone, but will Zimbabwe change?

Fergal Keane: Mugabe has gone, but will Zimbabwe change?

By alternativeafrica
November 22, 2017
657
0
Share:
Zimbabweans celebrate in the morning sun after President Robert Mugabe resigned in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 22, 2017Image copyright Reuters

Up to the moment itself the extraordinary session of parliament had proceeded along expected lines. Speaker after speaker rose to denounce the excesses of the president and his wife.

A female MP was speaking of how her constituents were suffering when we saw the messengers approach the speaker. They handed him a letter.

A jolt of energy swept the hall. At first there were cheers of anticipation. The speaker rose.

The next 10 minutes will remain engraved in my memory.

We strained to hear the speaker through the muffled public address system. But the words “statement of resignation” were clear. And the wild cheering, the thumping of tables, the dancing and singing told all of us who were present that the age of Robert Mugabe was over.

From the corridors outside where Zanu-PF activists had gathered, the MPs could hear loud cheers and singing mingle with their own celebrations.

On the floor of parliament – a hotel ballroom specially converted for the session – I watched MPs and senators dance, arms around each other, as the solemn procession of mace bearers left the chamber.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionMPs cheered and celebrated as the resignation was announced

Among the more bizarre experiences was finding ruling-party legislators offering themselves for interview to the BBC. A week ago most foreign journalists were banned from the country.

One party stalwart, MP Keith Guzah, told me he believed real democracy would now take root in Zimbabwe. “He has gone and I am happy, happy, happy for my country.”

Another MP told me her greatest joy was that Zimbabwe had managed the transition “without the shedding of blood.” It was a comment that ignored the bloodshed and pain inflicted by her party during the decades of Robert Mugabe’s rule.

Leaving parliament I moved up through the city towards Africa Unity Square, the heart of Harare, pausing several times as I was enveloped by ecstatic crowds.

A man fell to his knees and raised his arms to the sky. A young woman, wrapped in the national flag, shouted: “Do you see this you guys? Do you see this? It is history in the making.”

On the square I ran into Ben Freeth, a farmer who lost his land and whose family were brutally tortured during the land invasions. Like so many others he was struggling to believe that the moment of Mr Mugabe’s departure had arrived.

“He was going, going, going and now he’s finally gone,” he said. As we spoke a group of revellers approached. Suddenly we were surrounded by embracing arms. “And you can see,” said Ben, “we are in this together!”

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionHow news of Robert Mugabe’s resignation was greeted across Zimbabwe

Will this spirit of unity, this freedom from fear, endure under a new dispensation? I cannot be at all certain.

The presumptive new leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is mired in the excesses of the Mugabe era. He was the deposed president’s loyal henchman for decades and only struck against him to prevent Grace Mugabe from succeeding to the presidency.

This was not a revolution to bring liberal democratic principles into government. It was about power.

That said, there are significant pressures on the new leader to embark on a programme of meaningful change. The corruption and tyranny of the past will not attract the international financial aid and investment that is needed to rescue the nation’s shattered economy.

People power

Mr Mnangagwa will face a strong challenge if he tries to mire Zimbabwe in the despotism of the past. His instincts are authoritarian but he will not have the same scope for repression as Robert Mugabe.

It would be a mistake to regard Zanu-PF as a monolith. A party that turned on one leader can easily turn on another.

Image caption Robert Mugabe’s resignation letter interrupted impeachment proceedings against him

Perhaps most important is the attitude of the people.

They have endured nearly 40 years of fear. For the first time they have been able to speak openly and demonstrate in the streets.

The opposition – for so long divided and beaten down – is rejuvenated.

These are the moments in which new leaders emerge and are tested. With elections set for next year, all parties are already in campaigning mode.

Traditionally the polls have been times of chaos and crackdowns. Let us see if Mr Mnangagwa lives up to the promise of a more tolerant Zimbabwe.

Robert Mugabe – Timeline of a political life

Image copyright AFP
Image caption President Mugabe was accused of preparing the presidency for his wife Grace
  • 1924: Born in Kutama
  • 1964: Imprisoned by Rhodesian government
  • 1980: Wins post-independence elections
  • 1996: Marries Grace Marufu
  • 2000: Loses referendum, pro-Mugabe militias invade white-owned farms and attack opposition supporters
  • 2008: Comes second in first round of elections to Morgan Tsvangirai who pulls out of run-off amid nationwide attacks on his supporters
  • 2009: Amid economic collapse, swears in Mr Tsvangirai as prime minister, who serves in uneasy government of national unity for four years
  • 2017: Sacks long-time ally Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, paving the way for his wife Grace to succeed him. Army intervenes and forces him to step down

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionMugabe: From war hero to resignation
SHARE ON:
TagsAfricaBreakingNews
Previous Article

Bob Bradley persuades Egypt’s Omar Gaber to ...

Next Article

‘I lost my land to Grace Mugabe’

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

alternativeafrica

Related articles More from author

  • News Now

    Mugabe allies hit out at Zimbabwe army chief

    November 14, 2017
    By alternativeafrica
  • News Now

    In pictures: Africa’s first AfroPunk festival

    January 7, 2018
    By alternativeafrica
  • News Now

    Long goodbye

    December 30, 2017
    By alternativeafrica
  • News Now

    Guinea healer held over faking hundreds of pregnancies

    January 17, 2018
    By alternativeafrica
  • AfricaBusinessNews Now

    Rwanda IT firm launches Maraphone, first full-scale Smartphone produced in Africa

    November 13, 2018
    By alternativeafrica
  • AfricaArts & CultureNews NowWorld

    New report found modern humans emerge in Botswana, around 200 thousand years ago

    October 29, 2019
    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

  • BusinessNews Now

    Nigeria’s Central Bank to Sell N1.024 Trillion Treasury Bills in Q4

  • BusinessNews Now

    Farming, trade boost South Africa’s Q4 GDP growth beyond expectations

  • AfricaNews NowPolitics

    Early results suggest ANC to retain power in South Africa

Timeline

  • March 4, 2021

    Eight injured after suspected terrorist attack in Sweden

  • March 4, 2021

    Interpol raises alarm after China, South Africa seize large consignment of fake coronavirus vaccines

  • March 4, 2021

    Rwanda govt turns to power tillers to help small farmers mechanize agriculture

  • March 4, 2021

    Covax floods Africa with vaccines to curtail emerging resurgence of covid-19 virus

  • March 3, 2021

    Covid-19: World Bank readies emergency vaccine fund for 30 African countries

  • 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

  • Eight injured after suspected terrorist attack in Sweden

    By alternativeafrica
    March 4, 2021
  • Interpol raises alarm after China, South Africa seize large consignment of fake coronavirus vaccines

    By alternativeafrica
    March 4, 2021
  • Rwanda govt turns to power tillers to help small farmers mechanize agriculture

    By alternativeafrica
    March 4, 2021
  • Covax floods Africa with vaccines to curtail emerging resurgence of covid-19 virus

    By alternativeafrica
    March 4, 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.