"We dare not squander the moment," Mnangagwa said in a speech whose sense of promise matched the joyful mood of a nation hungry for change after Mugabe's 37-year rule. However, he sought to reinforce the idea of a "new Zimbabwe," a refrain commonly heard in the streets of the capital, Harare. "Mnangagwa was minister of state security during the army killings of thousands of people when Mugabe moved against a political rival in the 1980s, and was justice minister around the time that the farm takeovers started. His forces staged a takeover last week amid alarm over a perceived power grab by a ruling party faction loyal to Grace Mugabe . She said she hoped Mnangagwa would learn from the errors of his predecessor, but acknowledged that the path ahead for Zimbabwe is unknown.Still, she said, "after 37 years, we've got someone different."

Source: Times of India November 25, 2017 03:55 UTC