Mugabe’s successor faces an uphill struggle

Even for a veteran of the struggle for freedom and democracy in Zimbabwe, the events of the past week continue to shock. When Robert Mugabe refused to step down in his rambling TV address on Sunday, it seemed impeachment would be the only way to remove him from office. Proceedings to do just that started in parliament yesterday. We didn’t get far. The debate had been going for 40 minutes when the speaker interrupted proceedings to announce that he had received a letter from the president. When it came to the part about Mugabe ‘tendering his resignation with immediate effect’, the place exploded. It took several minutes to restore order and by the time we filed out, it seemed the entire country was out on the streets celebrating.

The festivities went on into the night, showing clearly that what has transpired over the last week has the support of the great majority of Zimbabweans.