{"id":19455,"date":"2017-11-24T15:18:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T14:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/?p=19455"},"modified":"2017-11-24T15:18:38","modified_gmt":"2017-11-24T14:18:38","slug":"mnangagwa-sworn-zimbabwes-new-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/mnangagwa-sworn-zimbabwes-new-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Mnangagwa Sworn in as Zimbabwe\u2019s New President"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exuberant Zimbabweans greeted the swearing-in Friday of new President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who takes power after an extraordinary series of events that ousted the world\u2019s oldest head of state.<\/p>\n

Mnangagwa, fired earlier this month as vice president, will lead after the resignation of 93-year-old Robert Mugabe, who succumbed to pressure to quit from the military, the ruling party and massive demonstrations amid fears his unpopular wife would succeed him.
\nA smiling Mnangagwa greeted a stadium crowd of tens of thousands with a raised fist, and he promised to devote himself to the well-being of the people. The military, fresh from putting Mugabe under house arrest just days ago, quickly swore its loyalty to the new leader.<\/p>\n

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Mnangagwa, a former justice and defense minister, was a key Mugabe confidant for decades until they fell out because of the presidential ambitions of Mugabe\u2019s wife, Grace. Despite his long association with the government that has presided over Zimbabwe\u2019s decline, including economic collapse and human rights abuses, Mnangagwa has promised democracy and reached out to other countries for help.<\/p>\n

Mugabe, one of Africa\u2019s last remaining liberation leaders, quit Tuesday amid impeachment proceedings. In the end, he was isolated and showing few of the political skills that kept him in power for 37 years and made him a prominent but polarizing figure on the world stage. He had led since Zimbabwe\u2019s independence from white minority rule in 1980.<\/p>\n

Mugabe did not attend Friday\u2019s swearing-in, and ruling party officials have said he will remain in Zimbabwe with their promise that he is \u201csafe\u201d and his legacy as a \u201chero\u201d will stand after his fight for an independent Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe\u2019s state-run Herald newspaper reported that Mnangagwa assured Mugabe and his family of their \u201cmaximum security.\u201d The report said the two men agreed Mugabe would not attend Friday because he \u201cneeded time to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people ahead of the inauguration began to dance in the stadium stands. Banners erected in read \u201cDawn of a new era\u201d and \u201cNo to retribution,\u201d even as human rights activists began to report worrying details of attacks on close allies of the former first lady and their families. Mnangagwa has warned against \u201cvengeful retribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>

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Advertisement<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Tendai Lesayo held a small Zimbabwean flag as she sold drinks from a cooler outside the stadium. She said she would welcome a fresh start, saying \u201clife now is impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the capital, long lines formed outside banks, a common sight in a nation struggling with cash shortages and other severe economic problems that the new president will have to confront.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, nothing has really changed for me. I still cannot get my money from the bank,\u201d said Amon Mutora, who had been in line since 6 am.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttending the inauguration will not bring food for my family,\u201d said Kelvin Fungai, a 19-year-old selling bananas from a cart. Many young people are well-educated but jobless, reduced to street vending to survive. Others have left the country.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, there were signs of hope amid the uncertainty. Black market rates for cash have tumbled since Mugabe left office. Before he stepped down, one had to deposit $170 into a black market dealer\u2019s bank account to get $100 cash. On Friday, $100 cash was selling for between $140 and $150.<\/p>\n

As the inauguration crowds streamed by, Sharon Samuriwo sat on a ledge, watching. She said she hoped Mnangagwa would learn from the errors of his predecessor, and she acknowledged that the path ahead for Zimbabwe is unknown.<\/p>\n

Still, \u201cafter 37 years, we\u2019ve got someone different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exuberant Zimbabweans greeted the swearing-in Friday of new President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who takes power after an extraordinary series of events that ousted the world\u2019s oldest head of state. Mnangagwa, fired earlier this month as vice president, will lead after the resignation of 93-year-old Robert Mugabe, who succumbed to pressure to quit from the military, the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,624],"tags":[3327,3279],"coauthors":[2391],"class_list":["post-19455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news","category-politics","tag-mnangagwa","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nMnangagwa Sworn in as Zimbabwe\u2019s New President - National Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Exuberant Zimbabweans greeted the swearing-in Friday of new President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who takes power after an extraordinary series of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/mnangagwa-sworn-zimbabwes-new-president\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mnangagwa Sworn in as Zimbabwe\u2019s New President - 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