Emmerson Mnangagwa (centre, left) arrives with his wife Auxilia (centre,
right) at the National Sport Stadium in Harare, on November 24, 2017
during the Inauguration ceremony. PHOTO | MARCO LONGARI | AFP
HARARE
Emmerson
Mnangagwa was sworn in as Zimbabwe's president on Friday, marking the
final chapter of a political drama that toppled his predecessor Robert
Mugabe after a military takeover.
Mnangagwa,
until recently one of Mugabe's closest allies, took the oath of office
at the national sports stadium on the outskirts of Harare before
thousands of supporters, dignitaries and foreign diplomats.
Snipers
took up positions around the stadium amid tight security as jubilant
Mnangagwa supporters streamed in, many dancing as music played.
The
man known as "the Crocodile" wore a dark suit, red tie and matching
handkerchief, and a row of medals on his chest for the ceremony.
"We
are excited and expecting a lot from Mnangagwa. We have been under a
dictatorship for a very long time," 23-year-old Sharon Mauyakufa said,
referring to Mugabe.
"Mugabe is very old — we do not expect that he
will be punished for his crimes. How do you punish a 93-year-old? But
his wife and others must be charged if they committed crimes."
The
former president, who ruled the southern African country for 37
autocratic years, was ousted from office when the military intervened
after he had sacked Mnangagwa as vice president.
"We thank you our soldier," said one banner in the sports ground. "The people have spoken," said another.
A group of elderly women dressed in blue and white gyrated in time to a big band to wild applause from the crowds.
WELL-WISHERS
Mugabe
is in increasingly frail health and had been positioning his wife Grace
as his successor, but the army chiefs acted to halt the plan and usher
in Mnangagwa.
State-run media had
earlier claimed that Mugabe may even attend his successor's swearing-in —
but later suggested that after he and Mnangagwa talked about the
inauguration, he agreed he "needed time to rest".
Mnangagwa
also "assured him and his family maximum security and welfare" for
their future as private citizens, the state-run Herald news site also
reported.
Presidential spokesman George Charamba confirmed that Mugabe would not attend.
Buses brought well-wishers to the 60,000-capacity stadium from the early hours of Friday.
Leader
of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai
received rapturous applause as he arrived at the packed stadium for the
swearing-in.
Opposition stalwart
Joice Mujuru was also at the event at which military units stood in
formation on a multi-purpose grass sports pitch, under the shadow of a
big-screen TV.
Mnangagwa, 75, said
this week that Zimbabweans were witnessing "a new and unfolding full
democracy", though critics say he is a Zanu-PF hardliner who gained
power in a de facto military coup.
He
is known as "The Crocodile" for his ruthlessness and is accused of
overseeing ethnic massacres by the army in the 1980s and the 2008
election violence when Mugabe was at risk of losing the vote.
SECOND LEADER
At
the inauguration ground, Zambian President Edgar Lungu and Botswana's
President Ian Khama both did a a lap of honour to huge cheers from the
stands.
Zambian independence leader
Kenneth Kaunda — who at 93 is the same age as Mugabe but is known as
"Africa's Gandhi" — received the largest cheer from the full-to-capacity
stadium.
Britain, the former colonial power, said it had sent a junior minister to the ceremony.
Regional
heavyweight South Africa said President Jacob Zuma would not be present
as he was hosting a visit by Angola's new head of state.
Mugabe had ruled since Zimbabwean independence in 1980, exercising almost total authority to crush any sign of dissent.
The
majority of Zimbabweans have only known life under Mugabe — the world's
oldest head of state — during a reign defined by brutality, rigged
elections and international isolation.
His
iron grip on power ended on Tuesday when his resignation letter was
delivered to parliament, where MPs had convened to impeach him.
Mugabe was last seen in public on Friday and gave a defiant televised address on Sunday.
Neither he nor his wife Grace has been seen since, though they are expected to be given protection by the government.
In
the week before Mugabe resigned, military vehicles rolled down Harare's
streets, army generals made a TV address in the early hours and tens of
thousands of Zimbabweans demonstrated against the veteran leader.
Zimbabwe's
once-promising economy collapsed under Mugabe's rule, and many hope
Mnangagwa will push through reforms to bring in investment.
Unemployment
is over 90 per cent, and in his first speech after being announced as
the next president he promised "jobs, jobs, jobs!"
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