Mnangagwa Sworn in as Zimbabwe’s President

Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as president of Zimbabwe on Friday 24th November, 2017 at a ceremony that was the culmination of an extraordinary 10 days that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule. Mr Mnangagwa praised the 93-year-old former leader as his “father” and “mentor,” but also alluded to the malaise he is inheriting with the country plagued by political instability and an economy on the brink of collapse. “Never again should the circumstances that have put Zimbabwe in an insufferable position be allowed to occur,” he said, adding that his government “must hit the ground running”. Mnangagwa said he was committed to holding democratic elections next year.

In a message to western powers that isolated Mr Mugabe for years because of the forced seizure of white-owned farms and human rights abuses, Mr Mnangagwa said he was “ready and willing to start re-engagement with all the countries of the world. “As we build a new democratic Zimbabwe, we ask those who have punished us to reconsider sanctions. I wish to be clear, all foreign investment will be safe in Zimbabwe.”

Mr Mnangagwa, 75, is a veteran of the liberation war and was for decades a close ally of Mr Mugabe. But his dismissal as vice-president this month was the catalyst for the military’s decision to send troops and armoured vehicles on to the streets and place Mr Mugabe under house arrest. Mr Mnangagwa had fled the country after his sacking, citing threats to his life, but returned to Zimbabwe after Mr Mugabe resigned on Tuesday, 21st November, 2017. He will remain president up to the end of Mr Mugabe’s original term, due to expire by the end of July 2018. That is the latest date by which elections must be held. The former president, who had ruled the country since independence from Britain in 1980, did not attend the ceremony.

A crucial issue is whether Mr Mnangagwa will now seek to reach out to the opposition, amid concerns that his ruling Zanu-PF party will attempt to maintain its autocratic hold on power. Mr Mugabe was accused of rigging elections and using intimidation and political violence to repress his opponents. Mr Mnangagwa has garnered a reputation for being a ruthless political operator and is a Zanu-PF stalwart. Nicknamed the “Crocodile”, the former security chief was accused of being instrumental in crushing dissent in the 1980s, an operation that led to the death of at least 10,000 civilians. Mr Mnangagwa has denied the allegations.

Morgan Tsvangirai, a veteran opposition leader who posed the biggest political threat to Mr Mugabe, and Joice Mujuru, a former vice-president to Mr Mugabe who set up an opposition party after being expelled from the Zanu-PF three years ago, attended the swearing in ceremony. One of Mr Mnangagwa’s main challenges will be turning around the ailing economy as the country grapples with a severe currency shortage, rampant unemployment and crumbling infrastructure. As vice-president, he had supported efforts for Zimbabwe to re-engage with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and pay off its debt arrears to enable the government to access financing. But those efforts are hampered by bitter political fighting within Zanu-PF. 

Mr Mnangagwa was sacked during a vicious succession battle with Grace Mugabe, wife of the former president. Foreign dignitaries at the swearing in included Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first post-independence president and a contemporary of Mr Mugabe. Ian Khama, the president of Botswana and an outspoken critic of Mr Mugabe’s rule, also attended. But a notable absence was South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, who sent his telecommunications minister to represent Zimbabwe’s most important neighbor.