After Mugabe 's Fall the Crocodile Takes Charge in Zimbabwe
Robert Mugabe
As news emerged that  President Robert Mugabe  a one-time freedom fighter who has ruled the southern African nation with an iron fist for 37 years   had resigned  his  post  the streets of Zimbabweâs capital erupted in joy. Through the night  the Zimbabwean capital echoed with exuberant car horn blasts as revelers danced.
In neighboring South Africa  members of the Zimbabwean diaspora celebrated with raucous singing and firework displays. Many of them hold  Mugabe  responsible for their exileâthe country  once the breadbasket of southern Africa  has seen the economy collapse under his rule  sending an estimated three million Zimbabweans across the border in search of employment. âThis is a new beginning for Zimbabwe â beamed Yolanda Nyngana  a 23-year-old interior designer who works as a housekeeper in Cape Town. â This Mugabe    he  has been so bad for our country. Even people with an education have no jobs  but  his  family has been living off the countryâs wealth for years. We lost everything because of  this man .â
 Mugabe âs resignation capped a tense week that started with the military placing the president under house arrest on Nov. 14. Though the move had all the markings of a coup  military leaders insisted that they were instead clearing out the âcriminalsâ that had undermined the presidentâs leadership  most likely a reference to supporters of his wife  Grace Mugabe  who has been angling to succeed the 93-year-old in the presidency.
Protestors took to the streets when the President refused to step down  prompting  his party  to suspend him  and parliament to launch impeachment proceedings. As the initial proceedings concluded in parliament on Nov. 21  members of Mugabeâs cabinet rushed in with a letter of resignation from the President. âMy decision to resign â¦. arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire to ensure a smooth  peaceful and non-violent transfer of power that underpins national security  peace and stability â the President wrote. As the speaker of the house read it aloud  parliamentarians cheered.
Thatâs because many feel that  Mugabe âs successor  former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa  will carry on much as before when  he  is sworn in on Friday. The two worked side by side for much of the Presidentâs reign. In a diplomatic cable posted on Wikileaks in 2000  the U.S. State Department noted that Mnangagwa was âwidely feared and despised throughout the countryâ and âcould be an even more repressive leaderâ than  Mugabe .  He  remains on the U.S. sanctions list  along with General Constantino Chiwenga  the military leader who helped push  Mugabe  out of power  for  his  role in repressing democracy in Zimbabwe. Kenneth Roth  the executive director of Human Rights Watch  tweeted photos of  Mugabe  and Mnangagwa next to each other. âZimbabweâs dictator finally resigns. Now donât replace him with another.â
He was appointed vice president in 2014  and  at the time  was widely assumed to be  Mugabe âs chosen successor. It was Mugabeâs abrupt dismissal of Mnangagwa  on Nov. 7  that precipitated the militaryâs intervention. While  Mugabe  cited disloyalty  most in government saw it as an attempt by  Grace Mugabe  to insert herself into the succession race by taking  his  place as vice president. At this point  Ms. Mugabeâs whereabouts are unknown.
Interior designer-turned-housemaid Nyngana agrees. âAnyone is better than  Mugabe  â she says. More to the point  the threat of upcoming elections is likely to keep Mnangagwa in line  and force him to implement at least some of the changes Zimbabweans want to see. Inflation is so high in Zimbabwe at the moment that relatives ask her to send groceries home from South Africa instead of money. âIf Mnangagwa wants to win  he will make sure that people can afford cooking oil again  at the very least â she says. She might even head home for the elections  her first trip back in nearly three years. âI was never interested in voting before  because we already knew who was going to win. This time I can choose the person who I think is best for Zimbabwe.â And  if all goes well  the person after that.
As news emerged that  President Robert Mugabe  a one-time freedom fighter who has ruled the southern African nation with an iron fist for 37 years   had resigned  his  post  the streets of Zimbabweâs capital erupted in joy. Through the night  the Zimbabwean capital echoed with exuberant car horn blasts as revelers danced.
In neighboring South Africa  members of the Zimbabwean diaspora celebrated with raucous singing and firework displays. Many of them hold  Mugabe  responsible for their exileâthe country  once the breadbasket of southern Africa  has seen the economy collapse under his rule  sending an estimated three million Zimbabweans across the border in search of employment. âThis is a new beginning for Zimbabwe â beamed Yolanda Nyngana  a 23-year-old interior designer who works as a housekeeper in Cape Town. â This Mugabe    he  has been so bad for our country. Even people with an education have no jobs  but  his  family has been living off the countryâs wealth for years. We lost everything because of  this man .â
 Mugabe âs resignation capped a tense week that started with the military placing the president under house arrest on Nov. 14. Though the move had all the markings of a coup  military leaders insisted that they were instead clearing out the âcriminalsâ that had undermined the presidentâs leadership  most likely a reference to supporters of his wife  Grace Mugabe  who has been angling to succeed the 93-year-old in the presidency.
Protestors took to the streets when the President refused to step down  prompting  his party  to suspend him  and parliament to launch impeachment proceedings. As the initial proceedings concluded in parliament on Nov. 21  members of Mugabeâs cabinet rushed in with a letter of resignation from the President. âMy decision to resign â¦. arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire to ensure a smooth  peaceful and non-violent transfer of power that underpins national security  peace and stability â the President wrote. As the speaker of the house read it aloud  parliamentarians cheered.
Thatâs because many feel that  Mugabe âs successor  former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa  will carry on much as before when  he  is sworn in on Friday. The two worked side by side for much of the Presidentâs reign. In a diplomatic cable posted on Wikileaks in 2000  the U.S. State Department noted that Mnangagwa was âwidely feared and despised throughout the countryâ and âcould be an even more repressive leaderâ than  [TGT]  .   [TGT]   remains on the U.S. sanctions list  along with General Constantino Chiwenga  the military leader who helped push  Mugabe  out of power  for   [TGT]   role in repressing democracy in Zimbabwe. Kenneth Roth  the executive director of Human Rights Watch  tweeted photos of  Mugabe  and Mnangagwa next to each other. âZimbabweâs dictator finally resigns. Now donât replace him with another.â
He was appointed vice president in 2014  and  at the time  was widely assumed to be  Mugabe âs chosen successor. It was Mugabeâs abrupt dismissal of Mnangagwa  on Nov. 7  that precipitated the militaryâs intervention. While  Mugabe  cited disloyalty  most in government saw it as an attempt by  Grace Mugabe  to insert herself into the succession race by taking  his  place as vice president. At this point  Ms. Mugabeâs whereabouts are unknown.
Interior designer-turned-housemaid Nyngana agrees. âAnyone is better than  Mugabe  â she says. More to the point  the threat of upcoming elections is likely to keep Mnangagwa in line  and force him to implement at least some of the changes Zimbabweans want to see. Inflation is so high in Zimbabwe at the moment that relatives ask her to send groceries home from South Africa instead of money. âIf Mnangagwa wants to win  he will make sure that people can afford cooking oil again  at the very least â she says. She might even head home for the elections  her first trip back in nearly three years. âI was never interested in voting before  because we already knew who was going to win. This time I can choose the person who I think is best for Zimbabwe.â And  if all goes well  the person after that.