Finally! Dictator Robert Mugabe Stands Down

The people of Zimbabwe are celebrating as Dictator Robert Mugabe has FINALLY resigned.

According to this:

Dictator Robert Mugabe has finally resigned today, ending his 37-year rule of Zimbabwe after the country’s ousted vice president – dubbed ‘The Crocodile’ – ordered him to quit.

Zimbabwe’s parliament erupted in wild celebrations as the announcement was made that the 93-year-old had resigned ‘with immediate effect’.

Mugabe had been accused of allowing his wife Grace, 52, to ‘usurp’ power and of being too old to rule. It is not clear what will now happen to his loathed wife, dubbed Gucci Grace for her lavish spending, who has not been seen since she and her husband were held under house arrest last week.

Guess who was paying for Gucci Grace’s designer duds. Just guess?

But as they say… money can’t buy you class.

There were scenes of jubilation on the streets as the world’s oldest head of state caved in to pressure and ended a near four decades grip on power defined by brutality and economic collapse. Whites and blacks united in joy as cars honked their horns, flags flew and lorries full of revellers roared through the streets.

To recap:

The origin of Mugabe’s sudden downfall lies in rivalry between members of Zimbabwe’s ruling elite over who will succeed him, rather than popular protests against his rule.

The army seized power after Mugabe sacked Mnangagwa, the ruling party’s favourite to succeed him, to smooth a path to the presidency for his wife. It comes after Mnangagwa warned Mugabe to respect public opinion and step down after claiming there was a plot to ‘eliminate’ him.

He said he would only return home when his security was assured and has turned down an invitation to meet the dictator.
Mnangagwa, said the country had ‘spoken with one voice’ and that the 93-year-old should step down so that Zimbabwe can ‘move forward’.

He also claimed that shortly after his dismissal as Mugabe’s deputy, he was warned by security personnel ‘who are friendly to me’ that plans ‘were underfoot to eliminate me once arrested and taken to a police station. It was in my security interest to leave the country immediately’.

Mugabe’s resignation comes a week after the army and his former political allies moved against him, ending four decades of rule by a man who turned from independence hero to archetypal African strongman.

The 93-year-old had clung on for a week after an army takeover and expulsion from his own ruling ZANU-PF party, but resigned shortly after parliament began an impeachment process seen as the only legal way to force him out.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has issued a response:

The resignation of Robert Mugabe provides Zimbabwe with an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule. In recent days we have seen the desire of the Zimbabwean people for free and fair elections and the opportunity to rebuild the country’s economy under a legitimate government.

‘As Zimbabwe’s oldest friend we will do all we can to support this, working with our international and regional partners to help the country achieve the brighter future it so deserves.’

The people of Zimbabwe are wildly celebrating:

People danced and car horns blared on the streets of Harare at news that the era of Mugabe – who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 – was finally over.

‘We are just so happy that things are finally going to change,’ Togo Ndhlalambi, 32, a hairdresser, told AFP.

‘We woke up every morning waiting for this day. This country has been through tough times.’

After a week of political turmoil, Zimbabweans reacted with shock and unfettered joy.

‘I am so happy that Mugabe is gone, 37 years under a dictatorship is not a joke,’ said Tinashe Chakanetsa, 18.

‘I am hoping for a new Zimbabwe ruled by the people and not by one person.

‘We need leaders who are selected by the people and not rulers. I am looking forward to get a job after our economy recovers.’

Massive crowds gathered within minutes of the shock announcement to parliament.

Men were breakdancing, women were singing and children were in tears, all brandishing national flags and praising General Constantino Chiwenga – the man who led the army takeover – as the news began to sink in.

‘It’s shocking, that guy is powerful, very powerful,’ said Barber Wright Chirombe, one of those who joined the euphoric street celebrations.

Some people held posters of Zimbabwean army chief General Constantino Chiwenga and former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking this month triggered the military takeover that forced Mugabe to resign.

Mugabe is the only leader Zimbabwe has known since a guerrilla struggle ended white-minority rule in the former Rhodesia.

During his reign, he took the once-rich country to economic ruin and kept his grip on power through repression of opponents, although he styled himself as the Grand Man of African politics and kept the admiration of many people across Africa.

I hope the best for the embattled country… though situations like this often just leave a nation vulnerable to a new tyrant power.

Only time will tell.