While the military said this was not a coup, and that President Mugabe and his family were safe, some news agencies reported that the lavish first lady, Grace, was in Namibia. Unlike Grace, Mr Mnangagwa has the backing of the army and news agencies reported that there was “a lot of talking going on”, with the army discussing the formation of a transitional government after Mugabe steps down. His recent firing was the climax of power-play within Zanu-PF on who would succeed Mr Mugabe, currently the world’s oldest president. His ouster seemed to leave Grace as the potential successor and she had told a public rally that Mnangagwa should leave Zanu-PF before the party’s extraordinary congress in December. Three years ago, Grace — known in Zimbabwe for her extravagant purchases of properties — engineered the firing of liberation war heroine Joice Mujuru, 62, as vice-president and later had her kicked out of Zanu-PF.

Source: Daily Nation November 15, 2017 20:26 UTC