The recently removed President, Robert Mugabe, is insisting that he remains Zimbabwe’s only legitimate Ruler, an Intelligence source said, on Thursday.
“I still remain the President of Zimbabwe”, Mugabe was quoted to have said.
The source added that Mugabe is resisting mediation by a Catholic Priest, to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla, a graceful exit after a Military coup.
The Priest, Fidelis Mukonori, is acting as a middle-man between Mugabe and the Generals who seized power on Wednesday, in a targeted operation against “criminals” in his entourage, a senior political source told Reuters.
The source could not provide details of the talks, which appear to be aimed at a smooth and bloodless transition after the departure of Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since her independence in 1980.
Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in the West as a despot, whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power, destroyed one of Africa’s most promising nations.
Zimbabwean Intelligence reports seen by Reuters, suggest that former Security Chief, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was ousted as Vice President this month, has been mapping out a post-Mugabe vision with the Military and opposition, for more than a year.
Fueling speculation that that plan might be rolling into action, opposition Leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been receiving cancer treatment in Britain and South Africa, returned to Harare, late on Wednesday, his Spokesman said.
Morgan revealed that Mugabe had told President Jacob Zuma of South Africa by telephone, on Wednesday, that he was confined to his home, but was otherwise fine and the Military said it was keeping him and his family, including his wife, Grace, safe.
In spite of the lingering admiration for Mugabe, there is little public affection for 52-year-old Grace, a former government Typist, who started having an affair with Mugabe in the early 1990s, as his first wife, Sally, was dying of cancer.
Dubbed “DisGrace” or “Gucci Grace”, on account of her reputed love of shopping, she enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF in the last two years, culminating in Mnangagwa’s removal a week ago, a move seen as clearing the way for her to succeed her husband.
In contrast to the high political drama unfolding behind closed doors, the streets of the capital remained calm, with people going about their daily businesses, albeit under the watch of Soldiers on armoured vehicles at strategic locations.
Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation change for the former British colony, a regional breadbasket reduced to destitution by economic policies Mugabe’s critics have long blamed on him.
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