Mugabe Acknowledges Immintent End of Reign

In his 36th year as president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe confirmed in a speech that it was time for him to step down. On July 18th, 2016 Mugabe attended a celebration in Harare to mark the occasion of the 24th Children’s Parliament that was held in connection to the Day of the African Child. He is the only ruler Zimbabwe has known in its era of independence and he has tried every tactic to cling on to power. The ruling ZANU-PF party has assured everyone that Mugabe will stay and he never missed an opportunity to confirm the continuation of his rule. Surprisingly, he acknowledged a few days ago that at the age of 92 he might step down soon.

“Once upon a time, I was like you. But I am not like you anymore. I am on my way out,” the Standard Zimbabwean media quoted. “But when I look over my shoulder, I would want to see bold and courageous men. I want to look behind and say those coming will be better than me. (…) That is what we always fight to do. To be better than our parents, initially be like them but strive to be better.”

Constitutionally, Mugabe still has one more term to run for presidency.

In the meantime, Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe has prepared to succeed her husband, however, recently there is a growing tendency of support for vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa to follow Mugabe in his presidency chair. The war veterans of the struggle for independence have been faithful followers of Mugabe in the past decades. Nevertheless, economic decay has caused their allowances to shrink which ultimately led to their withdrawal of support for the president. The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) allegedly leaked a document called ‘Blue Ocean – Taking Back ZANU PF’ in which they claim that Russia and China would also favor the vice president as successor of the president. Mugabe replied by threatening them with mass murder as he sees his wife Grace as the next president of Zimbabwe.

Regardless of the new ruler of Zimbabwe, the country will carry on the burden of widespread corruption as an awful legacy of Mugabe. The Zimbabwe Independent has recently published an article on how money disappears from the central budget and how pointless spending contributes to the economic crisis across the country. Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to waste over the years. Joice Mujuru, the former vice president who was removed from ZANU PF over accusations of plotting to murder Mugabe, has shed light on luxurious international trips that the president and his family enjoy from Zimbabwean state money. Mugabe’s daughter, for example, has recently given birth to her first daughter in a private hospital in Asia.

Robert Mugabe is one of Africa’s “presidents for life” who refuse to step down, even if their country is in one of the world’s worst conditions economically. U.S. President Obama emphasized the necessity for new African leaders in his speech when visiting the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia last year, an event Robert Mugabe did not attend.

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