Admos Chimhown | November 24, 2017 | The Conversation Long in coming but swift and relatively painless when it happened, the downfall of Robert Mugabe offers Zimbabwe a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recalibrate its hitherto dire trajectory. The transition comes with myriad challenges and opportunities, the handling of which will ultimately determine what direction … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2017
Mugabe’s final offer: ‘I’ll trade Grace for power’
Beauregard Tromp | Nov 2017 | Mail & Guardian Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe offered to send his wife into exile in a foreign country in order to retain power. It eventually took an army of Mugabe’s closest allies to persuade the president to leave office, even as four tanks and armed soldiers surrounded him and Grace at their private Harare residence. On … [Read more...]
End to Mugabe rule: other autocratic leaders may fear similar fate
Simon Tisdall | Wednesday 22 November 2017 | The Guardian As jubilation erupts in the streets at the resignation of Zimbabwe’s president how will the downfall affect the rulers of Uganda, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi? The fate of Robert Mugabe, who ran Zimbabwe with iron discipline for more than 30 years, will send a chill down the spines of other autocratic African leaders … [Read more...]
The Guardian view on Mugabe’s resignation: the end of an era in Zimbabwe Editorial
Editorial | Tuesday 21 November 2017 | The Guardian Zimbabweans cheered and sang as they learned that their president’s 37-year rule was over. But they understand the dangers ahead Robert Mugabe’s removal from power on Tuesday was greeted as his ascension to it 37 years earlier had been: with jubilation. In Harare there was dancing and singing, honks and cheers, and tears of … [Read more...]
Mugabe resigns under military pressure after 37 years as Zimbabwe’s leader
Kevin Sieff | November 21 | The Washington Post HARARE, Zimbabwe — Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s leader for nearly four decades, resigned on Tuesday after being sidelined by the military, according to the speaker of parliament. The announcement marked the end of a tumultuous reign that lasted from the country’s independence through economic collapse. The capital erupted in … [Read more...]
The house of Mugabe crumbles – but it’s too soon to celebrate in Zimbabwe
Stephen Chan | November 17, 2017 | The Conversation It seemed that Robert Mugabe, the 93-year-old Zimbabwean president, would rule his country until he died – but in the end, his fall was very swift. Mugabe’s decision to depose vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, at the behest of his 52-year-old wife Grace, was the last straw, and the army stepped in to depose him in a … [Read more...]
The Meaning of Robert Mugabe’s Stunning Non-Resignation
Todd Moss and Jeffrey Smith | Nov 19, 2017 | The Atlantic Despite mounting calls for his resignation, Robert Mugabe has vowed to stay on as president of Zimbabwe, further extending his nearly four-decade reign in office. The next 48 hours will be crucial, as Mugabe could be impeached when parliament reconvenes on Tuesday. The unfolding political drama in Zimbabwe remains … [Read more...]