People finally can show what they really think about long rule of Muhabe are the president:
www.washingtonpost.com/world/thousands-march-in-zimbabwe-to-demand-mugabe-step-down-after-37-years-in-power/2017/11/18/aa6f85ca-cbc2-11e7-b506-8a10ed11ecf5_story.htmlThousands march in Zimbabwe to demand Mugabe step down after 37 years in power
People took to the streets in mass protests against President Robert Mugabe in Harare on Nov. 18, 2017. (Kim Ludbrook/EPA-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock)
By Kevin Sieff November 18 at 4:47 AM
HARARE — Thousands of Zimbabweans marched to statehouse on Saturday, demanding that President Robert Mugabe step down after 37 years as head of state.
The rally had the air of collective catharsis — it was the first time in decades that Zimbabweans had been able to protest against Mugabe without fear of arrest, coming days after the 93-year-old leader was detained by the military.
Although the future of Zimbabwe’s government remains in question, with Mugabe still involved in negotiations with the military and South African intermediaries, Saturday’s demonstration sent a clear signal that opposition to Mugabe is massive and diverse.
The gathering included both black and white Zimbabweans, carrying signs and flags and honking car horns.
“It’s like our second Independence Day,” said Martin Matanisa. “For a while it’s just been oppression. This is the first time we’ve been able to stand here and protest.”
People protested against Mugabe in Harare on Nov. 18, 2017. (Kim Ludbrook/EPA-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock)
Members of Zimbabwe’s white minority joined the protests, many of them having lost their farms in violent government-led seizures. The farms were frequently redistributed to Mugabe loyalists.
Elaine Rich and her family were given two hours to flee their farm in 2004. On Friday morning, she carried a Zimbabwean flag.
“I’ve been waiting 37 years for this,” she said.
Zimbabwe’s military on Tuesday detained Mugabe and placed him under house arrest, raising hopes that the widely maligned leader was about to be deposed. Then on Friday he turned up at a university graduation, with no indication that his reign was about to end.
Mugabe’s exit would mark the end of a tumultuous period spanning Zimbabwe’s independence after years of white minority rule, the end of apartheid in South Africa — and then this country’s economic and political collapse.
When generals seized control of the state broadcaster early Wednesday morning, many Zimbabweans expected Mugabe could be gone within hours. It now seems the process could take much longer, with moments of near normalcy, such as the graduation ceremony, and mounting calls for the president’s resignation.
On Friday, the military said in a statement that “significant progress” had been made in its efforts to apprehend members of Mugabe’s government who are suspected of vast corruption and other abuses. Mugabe also had stirred widespread ire with his apparent attempts to make his wife his successor and build a dynasty.
