“We have got a clear position, we are going to impeach — the man has to go,” said another government MP, MacKenzie Ncube, speaking to AFP after a key meeting of ruling party lawmakers. Mugabe’s weekend speech capped an extraordinary weekend that saw Zimbabweans celebrate while also venting their anger in ways that would have been brutally repressed just a week ago. Hundreds of noisy demonstrators gathered at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare on Monday to call for Mugabe to stand down. In scenes reminiscent of Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, crowds packed the cities, waving flags and chanting for Mugabe to resign. Mugabe was a key figure in the war for independence and took office as prime minister in 1980, riding a wave of goodwill.

Source: Punch November 20, 2017 16:07 UTC