The Sunday News
Sunday News Reporter
SOUTH African President and Sadc chairman Jacob Zuma has said the African region was committed to supporting “the people of Zimbabwe” after locals yesterday went into the streets demanding the resignation of President Mugabe.
Reuters reported that President Zuma made the comments in Durban yesterday following the demonstrations that were held in most cities in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans from all walks of life and from different political parties took to the streets demanding that President Mugabe resign after 37 years in power.
President Zuma’s comments come days after outgoing Botswana President Ian Khama backed Zimbabweans who are demanding the removal of President Mugabe. President Khama last week said; “I don’t think anyone should be president for that amount of time. We are presidents not monarchs. It’s just common sense.”
Another African President Ivory Coast’s Mr Alassane Ouattara has also been quoted in the international media saying due to age, President Mugabe should consider taking a back seat.
On Friday, Zanu-PF provincial structures in all the country’s 10 provinces met and called for the resignation of its First Secretary, President Mugabe.
They also called for the resignation of the party’s Women League secretary and First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe from the party. The structures also said the party should convene a special Central Committee this week to realign the revolutionary party with the current political developments. The provinces also demanded the reinstatement of former Vice-President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa whom they said was dismissed without endorsement of the Central Committee.
The provinces also called for President Mugabe to step down from the party and Government over allegations of among others, failing to uphold the constitution, fanning factionalism and allowing arbitrary expulsion of members. The provinces who made their call on Friday are Harare, Bulawayo, Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central.
Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North yesterday also passed the same resolution. President Mugabe was also accused of getting counsel from counter revolutionaries and agents of neo-imperialism, condoning and tacitly participating in the denigration of Cde Mnangagwa, the defence forces, senior party leadership and war veterans.
The resolutions were passed after the Zimbabwe Defence Forces announced last week that it had taken moves to weed out of the party criminal elements surrounding the President. The ZDF made it clear that it had not removed the President from power.
