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Emmerson Mnangagwa to be sworn in as Zimbabwe's president on Friday Emmerson Mnangagwa hails 'new democracy' in Zimbabwe
(about 3 hours later)
Zimbabwe’s former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa has returned to the country and will be sworn in as president on Friday. Zimbabwe’s former vice-president has said the country is witnessing a “new and unfolding democracy”, as he returned to a jubilant welcome two weeks after fleeing to South Africa following his sacking by Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa fled for his safety to South Africa two weeks ago when he was sacked by Robert Mugabe, triggering a political crisis that culminated in the resignation of the 93-year-old autocrat on Tuesday. Emmerson Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old liberation war veteran and stalwart of the ruling Zanu-PF party is to be sworn in as president on Friday. His sacking triggered the political crisis that culminated in the resignation of the 93-year-old Mugabe on Tuesday.
Mnangagwa touched down at a military air base in Harare on Wednesday afternoon on a flight from Johannesburg. Car horns and celebrations greeted the motorcade believed to be carrying Mnangagwa as it passed through the Zimbabwean capital on the way to the ruling party’s headquarters. Mnangagwa arrived from Johannesburg at a military airbase in Harare on Wednesday afternoon and travelled directly to the Zanu-PF headquarters where a crowd of several hundred had gathered to hear his first speech as president-in-waiting.
Mnangagwa at Manyame airbase after his arrival in Harare this afternoon. He is due for meetings with ZanuPF officials today. Swearing in on Friday, after a transition meeting with Mugabe. pic.twitter.com/De54zbPB9j “The people have spoken. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” he told supporters. “Today we are witnessing the beginning of a new and unfolding democracy.”
Mugabe, who ruled the country with an iron grip for 37 years, finally caved to popular and political pressure hours after parliament launched proceedings to impeach him. Soldiers controlled admission to the concrete complex, but allowed hawkers to sell ice-creams, bananas and soft drinks. Outside, a makeshift stall selling Zanu-PF T-shirts with the slogan “A New Era” and pennants in the national colours did brisk business.
He had refused to leave office during eight days of drama and uncertainty that began with a military takeover last week. Many supporters carried placards thanking Mnangagwa for his “resilience and endurance”.
Harare was quiet on Wednesday morning after a night of joyous celebration. Traffic was normal and many people were going to work. Nicknamed “the Crocodile” for his fearsome reputation, Mnangagwa has been accused of leading brutal waves of repression against opponents of Zanu-PF and Mugabe.
“It’s a new day for Zimbabwe. We are smiling,” said Lovemore Simbeli, 19, as he sold newspapers with front pages splashed with headlines announcing Mugabe’s departure. Emmerson Mnangagwa was Zimbabwe's powerful vice-president until 6 November, when he was fired by Robert Mugabe. 
Attention now turns to Mnangagwa, once one of Mugabe’s closest aides and one of the most powerful officials within the ruling Zanu-PF party. The 75-year-old former intelligence chief had been locked in a battle with the first lady, Grace Mugabe, to succeed her husband as president. In October she publicly denied poisoning him after he fell ill at a rally in August. 
The decision to sack him was a rare tactical error by Mugabe, who appears to have wanted to clear the way to power for his ambitious but unpopular 52-year-old wife, Grace Mugabe, and her G40 faction. After his sacking, which was seen as an attempt to clear Grace Mugabe's path to power, Mnangagwa fled to South Africa. He reportedly returned on 14 November as the military prepared to take over the country, and is firm favourite to become Zimbabwe's next leader.
It is unclear whether Mugabe and his wife will remain in Zimbabwe, where both would be seen as a potential threat to Mnangagwa or any other new leader and could face prosecution. He has strong support within the security establishment and among veterans of Zimbabwe’s 1970s guerrilla war, when he earned the nickname “the crocodile”.
While there is widespread respect in Zimbabwe for Mugabe for his leadership during the brutal liberation wars of the 1960s and 1970s, the first lady is viewed differently, with many calling for her trial and imprisonment. Despite allegations about his role in atrocities in the 1980s, much of the international community has long seen him as being the most likely figure in Zimbabwe to guarantee a stable transition and implement economic reforms.
One option is for the Mugabe family to be allowed to fly into exile, with Dubai, Singapore or Malaysia considered the most likely destinations. The family is believed to have a substantial property portfolio overseas. His current popularity, though undoubtedly genuine, is clearly more dependent on the extraordinary events of the last week than any deep knowledge of the former spy chief.
Mnangagwa, 75, issued a statement on Tuesday night congratulating the people of Zimbabwe “on reaching this historic moment.” “I am here to welcome my leader, our leader,” said Nicky Chihwa, a 28-year-old student waving a national flag. “We hope he will be someone who will bring us change. We don’t really care who. We just wanted Mugabe to go.” .
“Together we will ensure a peaceful transition to the consolidation of our democracy and bring in a fresh start for all Zimbabweans and foster peace and unity. As I make my way back home, I look forward together with you the people of Zimbabwe to tackle the political and economic challenges facing our beloved country,” Mnangagwa said. Jennifer Mhlanga, a Zanu-PF MP and member of the party’s central committee, said it was important that Mnangagwa felt he had the party’s backing.
The words of the former vice-president, who is known as the Crocodile, may reassure the many opposition politicians in Zimbabwe who fear elections scheduled for next year will be postponed. “He needs to know that all this work, to meet all these high expectations, will not simply fall on his shoulders alone. He has all these people with him. The Zanu-PF family will assist him, the family of Zimbabwe will assist him,” she said.
Bacillia Majaya, an opposition MP, said the country needed “free and fair elections”. Mnangawa’s exile in South Africa underlined the important role the powerful neighbour has played during the crisis. Though attempts at diplomatic mediation failed outright, Pretoria offered a crucial haven to Mnangagwa and close allies when they were forced to flee three weeks ago.
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Mnangagwa has been accused of leading brutal waves of repression against opponents of Zanu-PF and Mugabe. Car horns and celebrations greeted the motorcade carrying Mnangagwa as it passed through the Zimbabwean capital on the way to party headquarters, where one small portrait of Mugabe remained on a wall but two large images had been stowed in a corner.
Though he was appointed to the highest posts within the ruling party after an extraordinary meeting of its central committee on Sunday, there are some constitutional hurdles he has to clear before he can be named interim head of state. Some Zanu-PF officials say the nomination by the party on Sunday is sufficient. There is still much residual respect for Mugabe, and many in Harare say he should be allowed to “rest” rather than face charges or enforced exile.
Legal experts say the former spy chief is likely to be appointed a “nominee president” by ministers or, more likely, parliament. He would then be able to serve for the remaining 10 months of Mugabe’s term as president. Zanu-PF officials have said that Mugabe and his wife, Grace, will be allowed to live in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe, who outwitted and outlasted many opponents during his career, had appeared determined to fight on, turning a televised address to the nation on Sunday, when he was expected to announce his retirement, into a defiant description of future plans. Ziyambi Zambi, a Zanu-PF MP and former minister, said the couple had been guaranteed impunity from prosecution and other unspecified protections.
Faced with impeachment, however, the veteran autocrat finally ceded, sending a letter to parliament saying that his “decision to resign [was] voluntary”. “There has been an agreement. They are elder statesmen [sic] and will be respected and given their dues. He was our president and he agreed to resign so he will enjoy the benefits of being an ex-president and his wife too. He is our icon,” Zambi said.
“[It] arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire to ensure a smooth, peaceful and non-violent transfer of power that underpins national security, peace and stability,” Mugabe wrote. Mugabe, who ruled the country with an iron grip for 37 years, finally caved to popular and political pressure on Tuesday, hours after parliament launched proceedings to impeach him. He had refused to leave office during eight days of uncertainty that began with a military takeover last week.
The letter allowed him to leave office with some dignity, but it also allowed the group behind his downfall to present it as a constitutional transfer of power, rather than a change of government effected at gunpoint. Harare was quiet on Wednesday morning after a night of joyous celebration. Traffic was normal and many people were going to work.
The same consideration may determine the thinking of Mnangagwa and other senior Zanu-PF leaders as they consider what to do with the former president and his wife. “It’s a new day for Zimbabwe. We are smiling,” said Lovemore Simbeli, 19, as he sold newspapers with front-page headlines announcing Mugabe’s resignation.
“If they are forced into exile then that looks like a coup; if they are allowed to stay that looks much more like a legitimate transfer of power. So they’ll probably be allowed officially to stay but unofficially asked to leave,” said Nic Cheeseman, a professor of democracy at Birmingham University and an expert in African politics. Mnangagwa, once one of Mugabe’s closest aides, can count on the support of the armed forces, the massed ranks of Zanu-PF followers across the country, and his own followers in the eastern part of Zimbabwe where he comes from.
Mugabe’s eventual fate will reverberate across a continent where hundreds of millions of people still suffer the excesses of authoritarian rulers, are denied justice by corrupt or incompetent officials, and struggle to hold even elected governments to account. Among those who greeted the new leader at the airport were relatives, including nephew Lucius Ngomo, a chief from near the town of Masvingo.
The deal Mugabe has struck to leave power might tempt other rulers to leave before they are pushed, if he is able to protect his family and some of the assets he is thought to have accumulated while in office. “In the family there are people who you see and who you say will rise up to a high level. He was one of those people,” Ngoma said.
The decision to sack Mnangagwa was a rare tactical error by Mugabe, who appears to have wanted to clear the way to power for his ambitious but unpopular wife and her G40 faction.
While there is widespread respect for Mugabe for his leadership during the brutal liberation wars of the 1960s and 70s, the first lady is viewed differently, with many calling for her trial and imprisonment.
Despite the guarantees offered by Mnangagwa and the military, the former leader may still prefer exile. Dubai, Singapore or Malaysia are considered the most likely destinations. The family is believed to have a substantial property portfolio overseas.