Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe was plunged into grief Thursday following the death of veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, roundly praised as a hero, champion of democracy and symbol of resistance who will be hard to replace. The former trade union stalwart who posed the most formidable challenge to …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa set to strengthen grip at party meeting
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is expected to use a conference of the ruling ZANU-PF party on Friday to consolidate his grip on power after Robert Mugabe’s shock ouster last month. Mnangagwa took office after the military forced Mugabe to resign, ending a 37-year reign marked …
Read More »Zimbabwe war veterans at heart of Mugabe’s downfall
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Once Robert Mugabe’s fiercest supporters, independence war veterans played a key role in ousting him, proving they still wield influence in Zimbabwe which only threw off colonial rule in 1980. Mugabe’s reign was built on support from three pillars — ZANU-PF party, the military and …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s ‘Crocodile’ to snap up the top job
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Nicknamed “the Crocodile” for his ruthlessness, Emmerson Mnangagwa who will take over as Zimbabwe’s next president, is a hardliner with ties to the military who could prove as authoritarian as his mentor Robert Mugabe. It was his political ambition to take over which set off …
Read More »Elated Zimbabweans celebrate as Mugabe era fades
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters flooded Zimbabwe’s streets Saturday celebrating President Robert Mugabe’s slipping power on the eve of crunch talks with the military to determine the veteran leader’s fate. In scenes of public euphoria not seen since independence in 1980, huge crowds marched, danced …
Read More »Crunch talks as Mugabe and generals thrash out his exit
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean army generals will pile further pressure on President Robert Mugabe to resign Sunday after tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters celebrated the apparent end of his 37-year regime. Mugabe’s hold on power was broken this week when the military took over in a dispute …
Read More »Mugabe’s wife calls for him to name successor
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | President Robert Mugabe’s wife Thursday urged her 93-year-old husband to name his chosen successor, fuelling renewed speculation about the race to take over from the world’s oldest national leader. Mugabe has always refused to publicly reveal his favoured heir, but Grace Mugabe — who is seen …
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