President close to losing grip on power as tens of thousands join marches calling for his resignation

Robert Mugabe’s efforts to cling to power appeared close to collapse on Saturday night as tens of thousands marched through Zimbabwe’s cities calling for his resignation, while the ruling party prepared to dismiss him.

The 93-year-old president is due on Sunday morning to meet the army commanders who took power last week, a statement broadcast by the state-run TV channel said.



The face-to-face encounter is only the second since the military takeover five days ago and will take place as leaders of Zanu-PF convene to endorse a motion demanding that Mugabe resign as president and stripping the party leader of his post of first secretary. Parliament is expected to start impeachment proceedings next week.

Protesters in Zimbabwe call for Mugabe to step down – in pictures Read more

Sources close to the military said the president had asked a Catholic priest and lifelong friend to act as an intermediary in talks with generals. Mugabe had previously rejected similar offers of mediation, suggesting that he was close to making a significant concession.

Few options are now open to the autocrat, who has ruled Zimbabwe through a mixture of ­coercion, bribery and revolutionary rhetoric for nearly four decades. Support in some branches of the security establishment – including the police – has evaporated and high-profile political supporters have been detained.



On Saturday the streets of Harare were filled with people chanting, singing and waving placards. Many embraced soldiers. The march had the approval of military authorities and will boost the inter­national image of the generals who took control last week.



Play Video 0:46 'We are going to take our Zimbabwe back': protesters call for Mugabe to go - video

However, analysts said the celebrations were also evidence of a huge desire for democracy in Zimbabwe, not just the departure of the world’s oldest leader.

The presidential motorcade left Mugabe’s sprawling residence in Harare yesterday evening, booed and jeered by protesters who had gathered outside. A security source told Reuters the president was not in the vehicles.

Piers Pigou, an expert with the International Crisis Group, said the march was “both an opportunity and a major challenge” for the military and the still dominant Zanu-PF, Mugabe’s political vehicle. “The language being used shows that people were out not just to support Zanu-PF and the army … What we have seen on the streets suggests that ordinary Zimbabweans want an alternative to the centralising, controlling ­narrative,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Soldiers stop people as they try to make their way to State House. Photograph: Kim Ludbrook/EPA

The military has said its takeover was to remove “criminals” close to the president, a reference to Grace Mugabe, the first lady, and her G40 ­faction.

Most observers believe the former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa is likely to take charge when Mugabe finally relinquishes power. Mnangagwa, 75, is a former intelligence chief and ­veteran Zanu-PF official responsible for the repression of opposition parties in elections between 2000 and 2008. He was fired by Mugabe two weeks ago.

Opposition leaders have called for the formation of an inclusive transitional government but risk being sidelined by the army and Zanu-PF. There are also concerns that the military will maintain significant influence in the future.

“The ruling party [has] allowed the military to taste political power [and] … We have to expect some role of the armed forces to continue for some time,” said Martin Rupiya, a former Zimbab­wean army general.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters gather behind an army cordon on the road leading to State House. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

One senior Zanu-PF official said fears of “praetorian politics” in coming years were justified.

Since taking power, the military has arrested about a dozen senior officials and ministers loyal to Grace Mugabe, 52. She has not been seen since the take­over. Sources said she was in her husband’s Harare residence when he was detained and has not left. Zanu-PF branches in all 10 provinces called on Friday for Mugabe to be recalled as first secretary of the party.

The motions also called for Grace Mugabe to be stripped of her post chairing the Zanu-PF women’s league. She is a divisive figure who has outraged many with her extravagance, violent outbursts and political ambitions. Mugabe could theoretically continue as president, even if he were no longer leader of Zanu-PF, but this would be difficult in practice, party insiders said.



Timeline Zimbabwe timeline: the week that led to Mugabe's detention Show Hide Mugabe fires vice president Robert Mugabe fires his powerful vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, clearing the way for his wife, Grace, to succeed him as leader of Zimbabwe. Grace had accused 75-year-old Mnangagwa, a former intelligence chief, of being the “root cause of factionalism” in the ruling Zanu-PF party. Mnangagwa defiant Mnangagwa reportedly flees to South Africa, but vows to return to Zimbabwe to lead party members. The party "is not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please," Mnangagwa tells Mugabe in an angry five-page statement. Army chief issues warning Zimbabwe’s army chief demands a halt to the purge in Zanu-PF, and warns that the military could intervene. “We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in,” General Constantino Chiwenga told a media conference attended by about 90 senior army officers. Army denies coup A convoy of tanks is seen moving on the outskirts of the Zimbabwean capital but the military denies a coup. In an overnight declaration on state television, they say Mugabe is safe and they are "only targeting criminals around him". Mugabe detained Military vehicles take control of the streets of Harare in the early hours. South Africa says Mugabe has told its president, Jacob Zuma, by telephone that he is under house arrest but is "fine".

Relatives said he and Grace were “ready to die for what is correct” and had no intention of stepping down to legitimise the military coup. ­Speaking to Reuters from a secret ­location in South Africa, Patrick Zhuwao, Mugabe’s nephew, said on Saturday that his uncle had hardly slept since the ­military ­take­over, but his health was ­otherwise good.

Play Video 0:31 Robert Mugabe attends graduation in first appearance since military takeover - video

The coup is thought to have been prompted in part by fears among the military and its allies in the ruling party of an imminent purge of Grace Mugabe’s rivals that would have allowed her to exercise greater power. Zimbabweans abroad demonstrated against their president yesterday. Hundreds in Britain gathered outside the embassy in London calling on Mugabe to step aside. Similar rallies were held in South Africa and Namibia.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters wear #stepdown berets. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

Mugabe’s downfall is likely to send shockwaves across Africa, where a number of entrenched autocratic leaders, from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila, are facing pressure to step aside.



The failure of regional powers to explicitly support the military inter­vention has angered many in Zimbabwe. South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, said yesterday the continent was committed to supporting “the people of Zimbabwe”.

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