ZIMBABWE’S former vice-president has called on Robert Mugabe to stand down now in order to “preserve his legacy”.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, who’s sacking last week was the catalyst for a military takeover, fled the country two weeks ago in fear of his life, believes the president should heed the "clarion call" from the people of Zimbabwe.
It is believed Mnangagwa’s sacking was to pave the way for Mugabe's wife Grace to succeed the 93-year-old as president.
"The people of Zimbabwe have spoken with one voice and it is my appeal to President Mugabe that he should take heed of this clarion call and resign forthwith so that the country can move forward and preserve his legacy," Mnangagwa said in a statement.
It comes after the country's ruling Zanu-PF party instructed its chief whip to move ahead with impeachment proceedings Mugabe.
The party also has formally notified Mugabe of his firing as Zanu-PF party leader.
Mugabe was notified yesterday morning of the decisions taken by the party’s Central Committee a day earlier.
Mugabe ignored a midday deadline yesterday to resign, and the party says it will pursue impeachment when parliament resumes today.
A Zanu-PF official said it should take Zimbabwe’s parliament two days to impeach Mugabe.
The party’s deputy secretary for legal affairs Paul Mangwana added that they will move a motion for impeachment today, and tomorrow it will report back and “we vote him out”.
Mangwana said the main charge against the 93-year-old Mugabe is “allowing his wife to usurp government powers” and that “he is too old and cannot even walk without help”.
He said the ruling party needs the backing of the MDC opposition group to have enough votes in parliament but “they are supporting us”.
Opposition activists and the influential liberation war veterans’ association announced more demonstrations to pressure Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, to step down after 37 years in power.
“Your time is up,” veterans’ association leader Chris Mutsvangwa said.
“You should have the dignity and decency to spare the country of further turmoil by simply announcing your departure immediately.”
He also suggested that the military, even though it put Mugabe under house arrest days ago, was still beholden to him and compelled to protect him because he is officially their “commander in chief”.
The war veterans’ association will go to court to argue that Mugabe is “derelict of his executive duty”, Mutsvangwa said.
Mugabe is now a virtually powerless figure. The military appears to favour a voluntary resignation to maintain a veneer of legality in the political transition.
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