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Zimbabwe: Who is saying what? | News

5:28 AM News , 0 Comments

Zimbabwe’s army seized control of the country on Tuesday night, claiming it was removing “criminals” around Robert Mugabe.

An army spokesman said on Wednesday that the army is holding Mugabe for his own safety. 

There is no official word from the Mugabe family as to their whereabouts.

Among this unexpected series of events, the following are the latest reactions:  

From Zimbabwe: 

  • War Veterans call for Mugabe to be removed: “Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe should be removed as the country’s leader and as first secretary of the ruling Zanu-PF party,” the Secretary-General of Zimbabwe’s War Veterans Association, Victor Matemadanda, said on Wednesday.

  • Victor Matemadanda, recently told Al Jazeera the ongoing expulsions were a strong indication that Mugabe was acting in his own interests and those of his wife.

  • ZANU-PF party rejects the move: “We will not fold our hands to allow a creature of the constitution to subvert the very constitution which establishes it,” Kudzai Chipanga, leader of the ZANU-PF party’s Youth League, said on Tuesday. 

  • Chipanga stated the party wanted to see a peaceful, constitutional “democratisation” of Zimbabwe following the army move.

  • Army commander Constantino Chiwenga said on Monday, November 13, that the military would act if purges against former war liberation fighters did not cease.

  • Army statement: Mugabe “safe and sound”: “Comrade R G Mugabe and his family, are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed. We are only targeting criminals around him,” Major General SB Moyo said on Wednesday. 

  • “As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.” 

Media:

  • Al Jazeera’s Haru describes the situation as tense: ” The atmosphere, if I can describe, is tense . I’m Zimbabwean, I was born after independence from Britain. I’ve never experienced this kind of feeling in the air.

  • “At the moment, people are just wondering what is going to happen next . A South African plane from Johannesburg is also expected soon, and people are coming and going from the airport. It’s not as busy as it usually is, but it is open and it is functioning.” 

  • Army seized state TV: On Wednesday, November 15, the Zimbabwe army seized state TV and blocked off access to government offices.

International reactions: 

  • UK – ‘hard to say how things will turn out’ :  “It’s very fluid and it’s hard to say exactly how this will turn out,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said. “The most important point to make is that everybody wants to see a stable and successful Zimbabwe and I think we are really appealing for everybody to refrain from violence.”

  • Nigeria’s Buhari calls for calm: President Muhammadu Buhari has called for calm, peace and respect for the constitution in Zimbabwe, the President made this call in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.  
  • Mugabe told Zuma he was confined to home but fine: South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma spoke to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday, and Mugabe told Zuma that he was confined to his home but that he was fine, the South African presidency said in a statement.
  • In a statement posted online, the office also said South Africa is in touch with the Zimbabwe military. “President Zuma has reiterated his call for calm and restraint and for the ZDF [military] to ensure that peace and stability are not undermined in Zimbabwe.”
  • President Zuma, in his capacity as chair of the Southern African Development Community, will send special envoys to Zimbabwe to meet with Mugabe and the Zimbabwean Defence Force, the South African presidency said in a statement. 
  • Mohamed Nasheed: Maldivian politician, human rights and environmental activist wrote:

Embassies: 

  • Spanish embassy asks citizens to be cautious: Due to the political situation in Zimbabwe, extreme precautions are recommended in the city of Harare and surrounding areas.

General reactions: 

  • Professor David Moore, speaking from Johannesburg, told Al Jazeera: “It is an inside-the-party coup. The president has not been deposed. People are being arrested, the G-40 people are being arrested, but the G-40 never had the army in their hands. It’s relatively peaceful so far.” The G-40 is Grace Mugabe’s political faction.

  • SABC news, the digital news portal of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, wrote: 

  • Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur and newspaper publisher , wrote that there are unconfirmed reports of arrests of cabinet ministers and prominent people. 

  • Former  Zimbabwean Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, retweeted: 
  • Mawarire a priest, citizen, and author wrote: 

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