A political source who spoke to senior allies holed up with Mugabe and his wife, Grace, in his lavish “Blue House” Harare compound said Mugabe had no plans to resign voluntarily ahead of elections scheduled for next year. The army appears to want Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, to go quietly and allow a smooth and bloodless transition to former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mugabe, wife, top allies holed up in “Blue House” compoundMillions, from highly skilled bankers to semi-literate farmers, emigrated. He was then taken back to the army’s main KGVI (pronounced KG Six) barracks in Harare, where Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo is also being held, an army source said. Video footage obtained by Reuters from the houses of two key Grace Mugabe allies – cabinet ministers Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere – indicated that the army was also prepared to use lethal force if necessary.

Source: The Express Tribune November 16, 2017 13:52 UTC