Africa
6 years ago

Zimbabwe ruling party expels Mugabe, wife

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Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party has expelled country's President Robert Mugabe as the leader of the party on Sunday.

The party replaced Mugabe by his former deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa.

His wife Grace Mugabe was also expelled from the party and banned for life.

Ruling party's decisions have forced Mugabe to end to his 37 years in power peacefully following a de facto military coup.

According to Reuters, sources at a special ZANU-PF meeting to decide Mugabe’s fate confirmed about dismissal of Mugabe and Grace.

“He has been expelled,” one of the delegates said. “Mnangagwa is our new leader.”

Zimbabwe's ruling party Central Committee members stood and cheered at the decision.

Speaking before the meeting, war veterans’ leader Chris Mutsvangwa said the 93-year-old Mugabe was running out of time to negotiate his departure.

“He’s trying to bargain for a dignified exit,” Mutsvangwa said.

The ruling party opened an emergency meeting to recall the world's oldest head of state as its leader.

Mugabe on Sunday met with the army commander who put him under house arrest.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Harare, singing, dancing and hugging soldiers in an outpouring of elation at Mugabe’s expected overthrow.

His stunning downfall in just four days is likely to send shockwaves across Africa, where a number of entrenched strongmen, from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni to Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila, are facing mounting pressure to quit.

Minister of Home Affairs Obert Mpofu said that they met with "a heavy heart" because Mugabe, 93, had served the country and contributed "many memorable achievements."

He added that Mugabe's wife "and close associates have taken advantage of his frail condition" to loot national resources.

Mugabe's hold on power was broken this week when the military took over in a dispute over who would succeed him.

"President Robert Mugabe will meet the command element of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces tomorrow," state television announced on Saturday.

The two sides first met for talks on Thursday, smiling in photographs that attempted to present a dignified image of the tense process of negotiating Mugabe's departure.

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