By Despite the military taking over Zimbabwe and putting him under house arrest, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe has refused to resign from power, which analysts have termed as ‘buying himself time’.
The Zimbabwe army took over the country’s capital late on Tuesday, a few hours after Maj. Gen Constantine threatened to intervene in politics if Mugabe didn’t end sacking the veterans from the government.
All the incidents followed the Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s elimination from his post by President Mugabe. Mnangagwa flew out of the country to South Africa, from where he promised to return to Zimbabwe and lead the country from Mugabe’s rule.
Fulfilling his promise, after the military took over, Mnangagwa returned to the country and is now the one in charge. He was appointed by the ruling ZANU-PF party as the ‘interim president’.
Following the situation in Zimbabwe, on Thursday, Mugabe’s motorcade escorted him out of his private residence, where he is under arrest, and took him to the state house for talks with the military.
The talks were also attended by the envoys from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc, which were sent by President Jacob Zuma of South Africa in the security of his counterpart, Robert Mugabe.
At the meeting, President Mugabe is said to have refused to step down.
‘He is refusing to step down. I think he is trying to buy time,’ said a source close to the army leadership who declined to be named.
Morgan Tsvangirai, a former prime minister and long time opponent of Mugabe, informed the press in Harare that Mugabe must resign ‘in the interest of the people’.
He added that ‘a transitional mechanism’ would be needed to ensure stability.
ZANU-PF, the Zimbabwe ruling party also informed that they would meet to draft resolutions of dismissing Mugabe over the weekend on Sunday.
They added that they would lay the grounds for his impeachment next week if he refuses to stand down.
‘There is no going back. If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday. When that is done, its impeachment on Tuesday,’ the leaders stated.
On Friday, President Robert Mugabe made his first public appearance when he went to attend a graduation ceremony at Harare’s Open University.
Correspondent: Shamilah Namuddu