11-19-2017, 11:15 PM
*** 20-Nov-17 World View -- Robert Mugabe stuns Zimbabwe by refusing to step down
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Robert Mugabe stuns Zimbabwe by refusing to step down
****
![[Image: g171119b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g171119b.jpg)
Robert Mugabe, giving his speech on Sunday
The people of Zimbabwe, as well as the international media reporters,
were uniformly stunned (or gobsmacked, as one BBC reporter said) by
Sunday's events, that were incredible even by the standards of
Zimbabwe.
First, as expected, the governing party of president Robert Mugabe's
governing Zanu-pf party voted to expel him from the party, and to
demand his resignation. According to the resolutions of the Zanu-pf
Central Committee:
<QUOTE>"The Central Committee congratulated the masses of
Zimbabwe for their participation in the historic solidarity march
yesterday in support of the Zimbabwe War Veterans’ Association.
...
That Cde R.G. Mugabe be and he is hereby recalled from the
position of President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF
forthwith. Further, the resolutions that Cde R.G. Mugabe should
resign forthwith from his position as President and Head of State
and Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe and if the resignation
has not tendered by midday tomorrow 20 November 2017 (Monday), the
Zanu-PF Chief Whip (Cde Lovemore Matuke) is ordered to institute
proceedings for the recall of the President in terms of Section 97
of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. ...
That Cde E. D. Mnangagwa be the party’s nominee to be appointed to
fill the vacancy of State President in terms of Part 4, paragraph
14 sub paragraph 5 of the Sixth Schedule of Constitution of
Zimbabwe Amendment Number 20. That the Extraordinary Congress
scheduled for 12th to the 17th of December 2017 should proceed for
purposes of ratifying the decisions we have taken this afternoon,
in particular ratifying the appointment of Cde ED Mnangagwa as the
First Secretary and President of Zanu-PF. The Extraordinary
Congress should also ratify the decision we have taken today to
recall Cde R.G. Mugabe as President and First Secretary of
Zanu-PF. ...
That Cde Phelekezela Mphoko be and is hereby recalled from the
position of Vice President and Second Secretary of Zanu-PF for
being divisive, a member of the cabal, protecting criminals,
preaching hate speech and behaving in a manner inconsistent with
the Office and decorum of the Office."<END QUOTE>
According to numerous reports, Mugabe and the army had reached
agreement that Mugabe would announce that he would step down in a
speech televised nationally (and, in fact, globally, since a lot of
people around the world, including myself, were watching it live).
So as the world watched, Mugabe came into a conference room with a
dozen army generals, shook their hands, and sat down at the table to
read his speech.
Now what happened next is open to speculation. According to some
social media, one could see Mugabe switch speeches just before he sat
down, though this has not been confirmed.
At any rate, there's little doubt at the shock and surprise on the
faces of the army generals as Mugabe read his speech. Instead of
resigning, he said that he would be presiding over the December 12-17
Extraordinary Congress mentioned in the above Zanu-pf statement, and
then he went on to forgive the army:
<QUOTE>"We cannot be guided by bitterness or revengefulness
which would not makes us any better Zimbabweans. ...
The congress is due in a few weeks from now. I will preside over
its processes, which must not be prepossessed by any acts
calculated to undermine it or to compromise it the outcomes in the
eyes of the public. The way forward thus cannot be based on
swapping by tricks that ride roughshod over party rules and
procedures. ...
Whatever the pros and cons of the way they [the army] went about
registering those concerns, I as the president of Zimbabwe, as
their commander in chief, do acknowledge the issues they have
drawn my attention to, and do believe that these were raised in
the spirit of honesty and out of deep and patriotic concern for
the stability of our nation and for the welfare of our people. ...
We must learn to forgive and resolve contradictions real or
perceived in a comradely Zimbabwean spirit.
I’m happy that throughout the short period the pillars of state
remained functional."<END QUOTE>
He gave the speech in a halting manner, with several pauses, and
seemed at times to be confused. At the end of the speech, he said
goodnight, and then he apologized for having said some things out of
order, and hoped that they could be corrected.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was dumbstruck. "I am
baffled. It’s not just me, it’s the whole nation. He’s playing a
game. He is trying to manipulate everyone. He has let the whole nation
down."
Some people expressed sadness that 93 year old Mugabe had skipped his
chance to leave office with dignity, and instead would be humiliated
by the events to come. Reuters and Zimbabwe Herald and Zimbabwe Herald
****
**** Plans go ahead to impeach Mugabe
****
The Zimbabwean War Veterans Association, otherwise known as the "old
guard," is the organization of veterans that won the war against Ian
Smith, the white supremacist leader of Rhodesia, leading to
independence of Zimbabwe in 1980.
Chris Mutsvangwa, the leader of the Zimbabwean War Veterans
Association, said that Mugabe has a Monday noon deadline to resign,
and then plans to impeach Mugabe would begin on Tuesday, as scheduled.
Furthermore, he said that people would take to the streets on
Wednesday, hoping to replicate the events of Saturday, when hundreds
of thousands of people were in the streets demanding that Mugabe step
down.
However, some analysts are saying that the plans to impeach Mugabe are
fraught with complications.
One problem is that there may not be sufficiently severe charges to
justify impeachment in the eyes of some members of the parliament.
Even if an impeachment is successful, then who would become president?
In the Zanu-pf statement quoted above, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa
should become president. But Mugabe recently fired Mnangagwa as vice
president, with the objective of replacing him with his own wife Grace
Mugabe, who would then succeed him. So Mnangagwa could not become
vice-president unless Mugabe could be convinced to reinstate him prior
to being impeached and convicted.
Otherwise, the next candidate to become president would be the second
vice president -- Phelekezela Mphoko.
However, if you look again at the Zanu-pf statement quoted above,
Mphoko is accused of "being divisive, a member of the cabal,
protecting criminals, preaching hate speech and behaving in a manner
inconsistent with the Office and decorum of the Office."
So if the strict rules of Zimbabwe's constitution are followed, then
the entire impeachment process is potentially blocked by many severe
complications.
Mugabe was undoubtedly aware of all this when he refused to resign.
According to some commentators, he may be trying to provoke the army
into deposing him by force, which could theoretically trigger an
intervention by the African Union and the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) bloc of nations. Australian Broadcasting and Guardian (London) and The Nation (Kenya)
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Harare, Robert Mugabe, Zanu-pf,
Grace Ntombizodwa Mugabe, African Union,
Southern Africa Democratic Development Community, SADC,
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Phelekezela Mphoko,
Zimbabwe War Veterans’ Association, Chris Mutsvangwa
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Robert Mugabe stuns Zimbabwe by refusing to step down
- Plans go ahead to impeach Mugabe
****
**** Robert Mugabe stuns Zimbabwe by refusing to step down
****
Robert Mugabe, giving his speech on Sunday
The people of Zimbabwe, as well as the international media reporters,
were uniformly stunned (or gobsmacked, as one BBC reporter said) by
Sunday's events, that were incredible even by the standards of
Zimbabwe.
First, as expected, the governing party of president Robert Mugabe's
governing Zanu-pf party voted to expel him from the party, and to
demand his resignation. According to the resolutions of the Zanu-pf
Central Committee:
<QUOTE>"The Central Committee congratulated the masses of
Zimbabwe for their participation in the historic solidarity march
yesterday in support of the Zimbabwe War Veterans’ Association.
...
That Cde R.G. Mugabe be and he is hereby recalled from the
position of President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF
forthwith. Further, the resolutions that Cde R.G. Mugabe should
resign forthwith from his position as President and Head of State
and Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe and if the resignation
has not tendered by midday tomorrow 20 November 2017 (Monday), the
Zanu-PF Chief Whip (Cde Lovemore Matuke) is ordered to institute
proceedings for the recall of the President in terms of Section 97
of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. ...
That Cde E. D. Mnangagwa be the party’s nominee to be appointed to
fill the vacancy of State President in terms of Part 4, paragraph
14 sub paragraph 5 of the Sixth Schedule of Constitution of
Zimbabwe Amendment Number 20. That the Extraordinary Congress
scheduled for 12th to the 17th of December 2017 should proceed for
purposes of ratifying the decisions we have taken this afternoon,
in particular ratifying the appointment of Cde ED Mnangagwa as the
First Secretary and President of Zanu-PF. The Extraordinary
Congress should also ratify the decision we have taken today to
recall Cde R.G. Mugabe as President and First Secretary of
Zanu-PF. ...
That Cde Phelekezela Mphoko be and is hereby recalled from the
position of Vice President and Second Secretary of Zanu-PF for
being divisive, a member of the cabal, protecting criminals,
preaching hate speech and behaving in a manner inconsistent with
the Office and decorum of the Office."<END QUOTE>
According to numerous reports, Mugabe and the army had reached
agreement that Mugabe would announce that he would step down in a
speech televised nationally (and, in fact, globally, since a lot of
people around the world, including myself, were watching it live).
So as the world watched, Mugabe came into a conference room with a
dozen army generals, shook their hands, and sat down at the table to
read his speech.
Now what happened next is open to speculation. According to some
social media, one could see Mugabe switch speeches just before he sat
down, though this has not been confirmed.
At any rate, there's little doubt at the shock and surprise on the
faces of the army generals as Mugabe read his speech. Instead of
resigning, he said that he would be presiding over the December 12-17
Extraordinary Congress mentioned in the above Zanu-pf statement, and
then he went on to forgive the army:
<QUOTE>"We cannot be guided by bitterness or revengefulness
which would not makes us any better Zimbabweans. ...
The congress is due in a few weeks from now. I will preside over
its processes, which must not be prepossessed by any acts
calculated to undermine it or to compromise it the outcomes in the
eyes of the public. The way forward thus cannot be based on
swapping by tricks that ride roughshod over party rules and
procedures. ...
Whatever the pros and cons of the way they [the army] went about
registering those concerns, I as the president of Zimbabwe, as
their commander in chief, do acknowledge the issues they have
drawn my attention to, and do believe that these were raised in
the spirit of honesty and out of deep and patriotic concern for
the stability of our nation and for the welfare of our people. ...
We must learn to forgive and resolve contradictions real or
perceived in a comradely Zimbabwean spirit.
I’m happy that throughout the short period the pillars of state
remained functional."<END QUOTE>
He gave the speech in a halting manner, with several pauses, and
seemed at times to be confused. At the end of the speech, he said
goodnight, and then he apologized for having said some things out of
order, and hoped that they could be corrected.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was dumbstruck. "I am
baffled. It’s not just me, it’s the whole nation. He’s playing a
game. He is trying to manipulate everyone. He has let the whole nation
down."
Some people expressed sadness that 93 year old Mugabe had skipped his
chance to leave office with dignity, and instead would be humiliated
by the events to come. Reuters and Zimbabwe Herald and Zimbabwe Herald
****
**** Plans go ahead to impeach Mugabe
****
The Zimbabwean War Veterans Association, otherwise known as the "old
guard," is the organization of veterans that won the war against Ian
Smith, the white supremacist leader of Rhodesia, leading to
independence of Zimbabwe in 1980.
Chris Mutsvangwa, the leader of the Zimbabwean War Veterans
Association, said that Mugabe has a Monday noon deadline to resign,
and then plans to impeach Mugabe would begin on Tuesday, as scheduled.
Furthermore, he said that people would take to the streets on
Wednesday, hoping to replicate the events of Saturday, when hundreds
of thousands of people were in the streets demanding that Mugabe step
down.
However, some analysts are saying that the plans to impeach Mugabe are
fraught with complications.
One problem is that there may not be sufficiently severe charges to
justify impeachment in the eyes of some members of the parliament.
Even if an impeachment is successful, then who would become president?
In the Zanu-pf statement quoted above, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa
should become president. But Mugabe recently fired Mnangagwa as vice
president, with the objective of replacing him with his own wife Grace
Mugabe, who would then succeed him. So Mnangagwa could not become
vice-president unless Mugabe could be convinced to reinstate him prior
to being impeached and convicted.
Otherwise, the next candidate to become president would be the second
vice president -- Phelekezela Mphoko.
However, if you look again at the Zanu-pf statement quoted above,
Mphoko is accused of "being divisive, a member of the cabal,
protecting criminals, preaching hate speech and behaving in a manner
inconsistent with the Office and decorum of the Office."
So if the strict rules of Zimbabwe's constitution are followed, then
the entire impeachment process is potentially blocked by many severe
complications.
Mugabe was undoubtedly aware of all this when he refused to resign.
According to some commentators, he may be trying to provoke the army
into deposing him by force, which could theoretically trigger an
intervention by the African Union and the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) bloc of nations. Australian Broadcasting and Guardian (London) and The Nation (Kenya)
Related Articles
- Ecstatic throngs in Harare Zimbabwe demand that Robert Mugabe step down (19-Nov-2017)
- Zimbabwe coup splits ruling Zanu-pf party along generational lines (16-Nov-2017)
- Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe sacks the VP so that his wife can succeed him (07-Nov-2017)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Harare, Robert Mugabe, Zanu-pf,
Grace Ntombizodwa Mugabe, African Union,
Southern Africa Democratic Development Community, SADC,
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Phelekezela Mphoko,
Zimbabwe War Veterans’ Association, Chris Mutsvangwa
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
