Mnangagwa Back in Zimbabwe Ahead of Friday Swearing-In
Zimbabwe's President in waiting Emmerson Mnangagwa, greets supporters gathered outside the Zanu-PF party headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe, Nov. 22, 2017.
HARARE —
Zimbabwe’s incoming president returned to the country Wednesday to loud cheers after spending about two weeks in exile following his dismissal by then-President Robert Mugabe. Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in this Friday.
In a speech that lasted fewer than 15 minutes, the 71-year-old leader adopted a reconciliatory tone.
“Today we are witnessing the unfolding of a new unfolding democracy. I appeal to all genuine Zimbabweans to come; we work together," he said. " No one is more important than the other. We are all Zimbabweans. We want to grow our economy. We want peace in our country. We want jobs. Jobs. Jobs.”
Mnangagwa said he would reach out to the West and other African countries to help the battered economy recover.
Supporters of Zimbabwe's President in waiting Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as "The Crocodile", raise a stuffed crocodile in the air as they await his arrival at the Zanu-PF party headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe, Nov. 22, 2017.
Mnangagwa becomes Zimbabwe’s second leader in 37 years following Mugabe’s resignation on Tuesday amid pressure from the army and street protests.
Deprose Muchena, the director of Amnesty International in southern Africa, said he hoped Mnangagwa - a former longtime Mugabe ally - would improve Zimbabwe’s human rights record.
"The resignation of President Mugabe signals a tragic end to a long reign of both rule and misrule," Muchena noted. "Zimbabweans have an opportunity now to chart a new path in which a new society can be built based fundamentally on accountable governance, a complete rejection of impunity, a systematic compliance with human rights standards and ensuring that peaceful co-existence of varied political opinion is allowed, including a vibrant media."
Supporters of Zimbabwe's incoming leader Emmerson Mnangagwa wait for his arrival at the Zanu PF Headquarters in Harare, Nov, 22, 2017.
Muchena also said it is hoped the new leadership will accurately read the mood of the population and see "the tolerance levels for autocratic leadership and repression will be very low."
On several occasions, rights groups said Mugabe’s government was disregarding human rights. Now it remains to be seen if Zimbabweans are entering a new era under Mnangagwa.
In Photos: Robert Mugabe Retrospective
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe: Decades in Power
1/20Robert Mugabe co-leader of the Patriotic Front guerrilla forces, is seen at a press conference in London, Dec. 19, 1979, when it was announced that he and Joshua Nkomo had reached an agreement at Lancaster House on a new constitution, transitional arrangements and a ceasefire.
4/20Zimbabwean Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, right, and Yasser Arafat, left, pose for photos after being garlanded by two 10-year-old school girls, Jean Chitanda, left, and Tsitsi Chikasha, on Arafat's arrival at Harare Airport, Zimbabwe, April 14, 1987, to attend a meeting of the Non-aligned Movement's Committee on Palestine.
5/20Zimbabwe Prime Minister Robert Mugabe stands in the rubble outside the building which housed the headquarters of the African National Council in central Harare, after it was heavily damaged in a raid by South African commandos, May 19, 1986.
7/20Deputy President of the African National Congress Nelson Mandela, center, and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, far right, greet the crowds at the start of the new Zimbabwe public holiday, Mandela Day, March 5, 1990, in Harare.
9/20President Bill Clinton gestures while talking to Zimbabwe Prime Minister Robert Mugabe in the Colonnades of the White House, Washington, May 18, 1995, after their Oval Office meeting.
10/20Grace Marufu, the new bride of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, right, waves at guests, Aug. 17, 1996, after their wedding ceremony at the Kutama catholic mission 42 miles, (80kms) of Harare.
11/20President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, left, is met at the Harare International Airport, June 1, 1997, by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
15/20Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, center left, and his wife Grace, center are joined by his family as they cut the cake during his 93rd Birthday celebrations in Matopos on the outskirts of Bulawayo, Feb. 25, 2017.
16/20Police on horseback accompany Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's Rolls Royce during the opening of the 5th session of the last parliament in Harare, Sept. 12, 2017.
19/20Zimbabwe Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda presides over a parliament session where a motion is moved to impeach President Robert Mugabe, Nov. 21, 2017.
20/20People remove the portrait of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe from the wall at the International Conference center, after his resignation, Nov. 21, 2017 in Harare.
