South Africa borders on alert for Grace Mugabe

[Disir]

Police have put a “red alert” on South Africa’s borders to prevent any attempt by Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe, accused of assaulting a model in a Johannesburg hotel, to flee the country.
Her husband, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, has meanwhile arrived in South Africa for a regional summit, complicating the diplomatic dilemma confronting the government.
Grace Mugabe, 52, has asked for diplomatic immunity in the case, but she has not been charged.
Her whereabouts were not known to the authorities yesterday.
The alleged victim, 20-year-old model Gabriella Engels, has accused Mugabe of barging into a hotel where Engels was meeting with Mugabe’s sons, and whipping her with an electric cord.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula told reporters on Wednesday that Grace Mugabe had been due to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon under a deal struck with authorities, but failed to turn up.
Yesterday Mbalula said that police had put a “red alert” for the first lady on South Africa’s borders.
“We had already put tabs on the borders, in relation to her leaving the country, so there’s no question about that,” he told reporters.
So far she had made no attempt to flee, he added.
The South African government has made no official comment on the case and foreign ministry spokesmen have not answered their phones for two days, but the issue is causing waves at the highest level.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha told Reuters that he was attending a meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the matter.
The police have said Grace Mugabe will get no special treatment.
Former state prosecutor Gerrie Nel said the Engels family had been approached by a third party to accept a cash settlement to drop the case.
“The family is not interested in doing that,” said Nel. “They said let us talk and make this go away. No amount was mentioned.”
Nel, who laid out the murder case against track star Oscar Pistorius and is nicknamed “the Pitbull”, told a news conference that he was ready to represent Engels.
He said an investigator had told him police were preparing an arrest warrant for Mrs Mugabe.
However, a senior police source said that was not the case.
South Africa borders on alert for Grace Mugabe

SA Gabriella Engels recalls Grace Mugabe 'beating' | Daily Mail Online


She is going to get out of it.

 

[Tresha91203]

I think she's already gone. IMO, no one from her country of safe harbor should be allowed in S.A. until she is returned to face charges.

 

[waltky]

Mugabe ousted in Zimbabwe...

Zimbabwe crisis: Army takes over, says Mugabe is safe
Wed, 15 Nov 2017 - President Mugabe's situation is unclear, with gunfire heard in the Harare suburbs where he lives.

The military has seized control in Zimbabwe but has said President Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980, is safe. After seizing state TV, an army spokesman announced it was targeting people close to Mr Mugabe who had caused "social and economic suffering". The move came after Mr Mugabe sacked his deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, in favour of his wife, Grace. Heavy gun and artillery fire could be heard in northern parts of the capital Harare early on Wednesday. A statement read out by a general on air denied it was a coup. There was no immediate word from the president himself.

Soldiers patrolled Harare, Zimbabwe on Wednesday​

Mr Mugabe, 93, has dominated the impoverished country's political scene since independence from the UK. The UK Foreign Office advised Britons "currently in Harare to remain safely at home or in their accommodation until the situation becomes clearer", while the US embassy in Harare advised US citizens in Zimbabwe to "shelter in place" until further notice. China, Zimbabwe's biggest trading partner, says it is closely watching the situation and hopes that the relevant parties can properly handle their internal affairs.

How did the military justify its move?

Troops in armoured vehicles have been out in the streets of the capital Harare since Tuesday. After soldiers overran the headquarters of the ZBC broadcaster, Maj Gen Sibusiso Moyo went on air to say the military wished to "assure the nation that his Excellency the president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed". "We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... that are causing social and economic suffering in the country," he said. "As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy."

General Chiwenga had warned of a military takeover​

Other key points of the statement included:

* Citizens should remain calm and limit unnecessary movement
* The military assures the Zimbabwean judiciary that its independence is guaranteed
* Security services should "co-operate for the good of our country" and any provocation would "be met with an appropriate response"
* All leave for the defence forces is cancelled and personnel should return to barracks immediately

It is not clear who is leading the military action. Army chief Gen Constantino Chiwenga had said the army was prepared to act to end purges within the ruling Zanu-PF party.

What do we know of the shooting?

 

[waltky]

The king is deposed...

After 37 years, Robert Mugabe's rule of Zimbabwe appears to be over
15 Nov.,`17 - Zimbabwe's military was in control of the capital and the state broadcaster on Wednesday and was holding President Robert Mugabe and his wife under house arrest in what appeared to be a coup against the 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state.

The military was at pains, however, to emphasize it had not staged a military takeover, but was instead starting a process to restore Zimbabwe's democracy. Still, the military appeared to have brought an end to Mugabe's long, 37-year reign in what the army's supporters praised as a "bloodless correction." South Africa and other neighboring countries were sending in leaders to negotiate with Mugabe and the generals to encourage the transition. Citizens in Zimbabwe's tidy capital, Harare, contributed to the feeling of a smooth transition by carrying on with their daily lives, walking past the army's armored personnel carriers to go to work and to shops. Many who have never known any leader but Mugabe waited in long lines at banks to draw limited amounts of cash, a result of this once-prosperous country's plummeting economy.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, left, and his wife Grace follow proceedings during a youth rally in Marondera Zimbabwe​

Felix Tsanganyiso, who sells mobile airtime vouchers in Harare, said he was following the developments on WhatsApp. "But I am still in the dark about what is happening," he said. "So far so good. We are going about our business without harassment. My plea is that whoever takes over should sort out the economy. We are tired of living like this." The series of whiplash events followed Mugabe's firing last week of his deputy, which appeared to position the first lady, Grace Mugabe, to replace Emmerson Mnangagwa as one of the country's two vice presidents at a party conference next month. But the 52-year-old first lady is unpopular among many Zimbabweans for her lavish spending on mansions, cars and jewels. Last month she went to court to sue a diamond dealer for not supplying her with a 100-carat diamond that she said she had paid for.

Grace Mugabe has been known as the leader of the G40, a group of Cabinet ministers and officials in their 40s and 50s who are too young to have fought in Zimbabwe's war to end white-minority rule in Rhodesia. When Mnangagwa was fired, the generals and war veterans felt they were being sidelined and took action to stop that, analysts say. Mnangagwa's whereabouts were not clear Wednesday. He fled the country last week, citing threats to himself and his family. Critics of the government urged Mugabe to go quietly. "The old man should be allowed to rest," former Zimbabwe finance minister and activist Tendai Biti told South African broadcaster eNCA.

On Monday, the army commander made an unprecedented statement criticizing Mugabe for pushing aside veterans of the liberation war. The following day, the ruling party condemned the army leader for "treasonable conduct" and that evening the army sent armored personnel carriers into Harare and seized control of the state broadcaster and other strategic points, including Mugabe's residence. In a televised address to the nation early Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Sibusiso Moyo said the army had "guaranteed" the safety of Mugabe and his wife, but added the military would target "criminals" around Mugabe, in an apparent reference to the first lady's G40 group.

South African President Jacob Zuma said he was sending his ministers of defense and state security to Zimbabwe to meet with Mugabe and the military there. He said he hopes Zimbabwe's army will respect the constitution and that the situation "is going to be controlled." In Washington, the U.S. State Department said the Trump administration was "concerned by recent actions undertaken by Zimbabwe's military forces" and called on the country's leaders to exercise restraint. The United States "does not take sides in matters of internal Zimbabwean politics and does not condone military intervention in political processes," it said in a statement.

MORE

Zimbabwe's military could force President Mugabe to resign...

Did Mugabe go too far?
Wed, 15 Nov 2017 - Zimbabwe's military could force President Mugabe to resign - but they won't want to humiliate him.

Zimbabwe's military says its actions do not amount to a takeover. It still refers to Robert Mugabe as the commander-in-chief of the country's defence forces. But practically speaking, Mr Mugabe is not in charge if his forces can step in to usurp his authority. This is not a coup d'état in name, but it appears to be in action. The military takeover of the national broadcaster, the presence of troops on the streets and major access points, and even forced entry into the presidential palace are traits of a military takeover - at least as we have seen them in Africa. One thing that is lacking is that the constitution has not been suspended. The cementing of democracy across Africa has led to a general regional and continent-wide aversion to violent takeovers of government. Even in the past, coup-stagers often promised a quick handover to civilian government through elections or a negotiated transition.

President Mugabe's ties to the military date from the liberation struggle​

So far in Zimbabwe, the military is not showing any intention of assuming a governing role. However, it has someone it would prefer to do that. Emmerson Mnangagwa, the recently sacked vice-president, is held in high regard in Zimbabwean military circles. He was involved in the struggle for independence, and in 1980 created the Zimbabwe National Army by fusing the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zipra) and Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (Zanla) with the remnants of the former Rhodesian security forces. He was seen as the natural successor for the top office. President Mugabe sacked Mr Mnangagwa last week at the prompting of the First Lady Grace Mugabe, who has political aspirations and has publicly opposed the former vice president, but does not have support within a military where the liberation legacy is held in high esteem.

The military says it has not taken control of the country​

The top military officials were part of the liberation struggle, like their comrade and president Mr Mugabe, so they have supported his government over the years because he has served their interests. They did not act this way in 2014, when Mr Mugabe sacked his previous Vice President Joice Mujuru, a former independence fighter, in a similar power struggle. This time though, there is a sense the president might have gone too far. Earlier this week, the commander of Zimbabwe's Defence Forces, General Constantino Chiwenga, warned the Zanu-PF governing party to stop the purge against independence war veterans.

Grace Mugabe is a divisive figure in Zimbabwe​

Following his dismissal and escape to South Africa, Mr Mnangagwa promised to return to regain control of the ruling party from the Mugabes. This suggested his confidence in the support he had from the military. So the next step would be to negotiate his return ahead of the party congress in December, where he could be affirmed as the president's successor. At worst, the military will force Mr Mugabe to resign - but they will not want to humiliate him further because of the history they share. They will also extend the courtesy to Grace Mugabe, in spite of her recent actions.

Painful memories

See also:

Zimbabwe takeover seems like a coup, African Union says
Wed, 15 Nov 2017 - The military moves to seize power, with veteran President Robert Mugabe under house arrest.

The Zimbabwean military's takeover of power and detention of President Robert Mugabe "seems like a coup", key regional bloc the African Union says. Its head, Alpha Conde, said the AU demands an immediate return to constitutional order. The military denies staging a coup, saying that Mr Mugabe is safe and that it was acting against "criminals" surrounding him. Their move follows a power struggle over who might replace Mr Mugabe. His vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa was fired last week, making Mr Mugabe's wife Grace the president's likely successor - but leaving top military officials feeling sidelined.

Mr Mugabe, 93, has dominated the country's political scene since it gained independence from the UK in 1980. Responding to the developments, Mr Conde, who is also Guinea's president, said Zimbabwean soldiers "had obviously attempted to take power". The AU had "serious concern" at the situation and "reiterates its full support to the country's legal institutions", the statement said. The BBC's Anne Soy in Zimbabwe points out that Egypt was ejected from the AU after its 2013 coup, so it may be the Zimbabwean military is trying to avoid antagonising the bloc by not describing their actions as a coup.

How the drama unfolded

After days of tension and rumour, soldiers seized the state broadcaster ZBC late on Tuesday. A Zimbabwean army officer, Major General Sibusiso Moyo, went on air to say the military was targeting "criminals" around President Mugabe. "This is not a military takeover of government," he insisted. Maj Gen Moyo also said Mr Mugabe and his family were "safe and sound and their security is guaranteed". It is not clear who is leading the military action.

Since then, military vehicles have been out on the streets of Harare, while gunfire has been heard from northern suburbs where Mr Mugabe and a number of government officials live. In a statement, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma, said: "President Zuma spoke to President Robert Mugabe earlier today who indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine." There has been no direct comment from President Mugabe, nor his wife Grace, whose whereabouts are unclear.

How we got here

 

[Disir]

"bloodless correction"

lol

 

[waltky]

Zimbabwe `bout to get eaten by The Crocodile...

Ruling party says Mugabe impeachment to go ahead
19 Nov.`17 — The Latest on Zimbabwe’s political turmoil (all times local):

11:15 p.m.

The chief whip of Zimbabwe’s ruling party says “I don’t see us failing to proceed with the impeachment” of President Robert Mugabe. Told by the party’s Central Committee to step down by midday Monday or face impeachment, Mugabe baffled the country Sunday night with an address on state-run television that did not announce his resignation. Lovemore Matuke with the ruling ZANU-PF party tells The Associated Press: “The Central Committee decision stands until I am advised otherwise.” Matuke adds that “the speech was just surprising. It is not in line with what we expected. We had understood that his resignation was coming to avoid the embarrassment of impeachment. The army is taking its own route, and as politicians we are taking our own route, but the ultimate goal is to make sure he goes, which he should have done tonight.”

10:55 p.m.

Zimbabwe’s state-run broadcaster says President Robert Mugabe “has not resigned,” confirming the baffled reactions of a nation that watched his mumbling address on TV. Many Zimbabweans are outraged. “This dictator has absolutely no right to play ping pong with our people,” former Zimbabwe finance minister and activist Tendai Biti says on Twitter. “Mugabe’s non resignation speech. Masterpiece or mayhem? It’s either choreographed or completely out of control,” says Piers Pigou, southern Africa expert for the International Crisis Group. He adds on Twitter: “It beggars belief the generals did not know what was in Mugabe’s speech. ” The army commander who put Mugabe under house arrest just days ago sat beside the president during his speech, at times helping him turn the pages. Some Zimbabweans were in tears afterward, shocked that a man fired by his own ruling party as its leader and told to resign or face impeachment was showing defiance.

10:20 p.m.

Zimbabweans who gathered at a bar in the capital to celebrate longtime President Robert Mugabe’s expected announcement of his resignation say they are frustrated. One named Nyasha says: “I would be happy for him despite everything he has done to leave with dignity and just walk away. ... He is so stubborn.” The ruling party’s Central Committee has told the world’s oldest head of state to resign by noon Monday or face impeachment. His speech on national television was expected to announce he would step down. Another Zimbabwean named Shengi says: “Mugabe is a dictator and he’ll always be a dictator.”

10:05 p.m.

Zimbabweans say they feel profoundly disappointed that longtime President Robert Mugabe is resisting pressure to step aside. Victor Matemadanda, secretary general of the country’s war veterans association, tells The Associated Press he feels betrayed. Matemadanda says: “He is playing games with the people of Zimbabwe. He agrees to go and then plays games with us like that at the last minute.” Mugabe’s address to the nation said he would preside over the ruling party’s congress next month, even though its Central Committee has recalled him as its leader and told him to resign as president by midday Monday or face impeachment. Matemadanda says the war veterans will again rally the people to protest, and “this time the army will let him face the people. ... The army will now choose between shooting the people or protecting Mugabe.”

9:45 p.m.

See also:

Figure known as ‘Crocodile’ could replace Zimbabwe president
[i[19 Nov.`17 — Emmerson Mnangagwa, elected Sunday as the new leader of Zimbabwe’s ruling political party and positioned to take over as the country’s leader, has engineered a remarkable comeback using skills he no doubt learned from his longtime mentor, President Robert Mugabe.[/i]

Mnangagwa served for decades as Mugabe’s enforcer — a role that gave him a reputation for being astute, ruthless and effective at manipulating the levers of power. Among the population, he is more feared than popular, but he has strategically fostered a loyal support base within the military and security forces. A leading government figure since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, he became vice president in 2014 and is so widely known as the “Crocodile” that his supporters are called Team Lacoste for the brand’s crocodile logo. The 75-year-old “is smart and skillful, but will he be a panacea for Zimbabwe’s problems? Will he bring good governance and economic management? We’ll have to watch this space,” said Piers Pigou, southern Africa expert for the International Crisis Group.

Mugabe unwittingly set in motion the events that led to his own downfall, firing his vice president on Nov. 6. Mnangagwa fled the country to avoid arrest while issuing a ringing statement saying he would return to lead Zimbabwe. “Let us bury our differences and rebuild a new and prosperous Zimbabwe, a country that is tolerant to divergent views, a country that respects opinions of others, a country that does note isolate itself from the rest of the world because of one stubborn individual who believes he is entitled to rule this country until death,” he said in the Nov. 8 statement. He has not been seen in public but is believed to be back in Zimbabwe.

For weeks, Mnangagwa had been publicly demonized by Mugabe and his wife. Grace, so he had time to prepare his strategy. Within days of the vice president’s dismissal, his supporters in the military put Mugabe and his wife under house arrest. When Mugabe refused to resign, a massive demonstration Saturday brought thousands of people into the streets of the capital, Harare. It was not a spontaneous uprising. Thousands of professionally produced posters praising Mnangagwa and the military had been printed ahead of time. “It was not a last-minute operation,” Pigou said. “The demonstration was orchestrated.”

At the same time, Mnangagwa’s allies in the ruling ZANU-PF party lobbied for the removal of Mugabe as the party leader. At a Central Committee meeting Sunday, Mnangagwa was voted in as the new leader of the party, which had been led by Mugabe since 1977. In an interview with The Associated Press years ago, Mnangagwa was terse and stone-faced, backing up his reputation for saying little but acting decisively. Party insiders say that he can be charming and has friends of all colors. Mnangagwa joined the fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia while still a teen in the 1960s. In 1963, he received military training in Egypt and China. As one of the earliest guerrilla fighters against Ian Smith’s Rhodesian regime, he was captured, tortured and convicted of blowing up a locomotive in 1965.

Sentenced to death by hanging, he was found to be under 21, and his punishment was commuted to 10 years in prison. He was jailed with other prominent nationalists including Mugabe. While imprisoned, Mnangagwa studied through a correspondence school. After his release in 1975, he went to Zambia, where he completed a law degree and started practicing. Soon he went to newly independent Marxist Mozambique, where he became Mugabe’s assistant and bodyguard. In 1979, he accompanied Mugabe to the Lancaster House talks in London that led to the end of Rhodesia and the birth of Zimbabwe. “Our relationship has over the years blossomed beyond that of master and servant to father and son,” Mnangagwa wrote this month of his relationship with Mugabe.

MORE[/quote]​

 

[waltky]

Palace intrigue did Mugabe in...

Special Report: 'Treacherous shenanigans' - The inside story of Mugabe's downfall
November 26, 2017 - Inside State House in Harare, Robert Mugabe was in the tightest spot of his 37-year rule. Tanks were on the streets and troops had occupied the state broadcaster, from where the army had announced it had taken control of Zimbabwe.

Mugabe, 93 years old but still alert, remained defiant. The only leader the country had known since independence was refusing to quit. At a tense meeting with his military top brass on Nov. 16, the world’s oldest head of state put his foot down: “Bring me the constitution and tell me what it says,” he ordered military chief Constantino Chiwenga, according to two sources present. An aide brought a copy of the constitution, which lays out that the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Chiwenga, dressed in camouflage fatigues, hesitated before replying that Zimbabwe was facing a national crisis that demanded military intervention. Mugabe retorted that the army was the problem, according to the sources present. Then the beleaguered president indicated that perhaps they could find a solution together. The meeting marked the start of an extraordinary five-day standoff between Mugabe and Zimbabwe’s supreme law on one side, and the military, his party and Zimbabwe’s people on the other.

The generals wanted Mugabe to go, but they also wanted a peaceful “coup,” one that would not irreparably tarnish the administration aiming to take over, according to multiple military and political sources. The president finally accepted defeat only after he was sacked by his own ZANU-PF party and faced the ignominy of impeachment. He signed a short letter of resignation to parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda that was read out to lawmakers on Nov. 21. Mugabe, who had run Zimbabwe since 1980 and overseen its descent into economic ruin while his wife shopped for luxury goods, was gone.

The country erupted into ecstasy. Parliamentarians danced and people poured onto the streets in their tens of thousands to celebrate a political downfall that sent shockwaves across Africa and the world. To many, the end of Mugabe had been unthinkable only one week before. Reuters has pieced together the events leading up to Mugabe’s removal, showing that the army’s action was the culmination of months of planning that stretched from Harare to Johannesburg to Beijing.

BITTER RIVALRY