World leaders  hail Zim transition
President Mnangagwa

President Mnangagwa

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
World leaders have hailed Zimbabwe’s peaceful transition, which saw former President Cde Robert Mugabe resigning on November 21, 2017, and are keen to draw lessons from Zimbabwe’s new administration on how it managed the process.

Following Cde Mugabe’s resignation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over after he was seconded to State Presidency by the ruling Zanu-PF.

Speaking to journalists at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he attended his maiden African Union Summit as Head of State and Government, President Mnangagwa said global leaders were amazed at how Zimbabweans managed to resolve their internal issues without shedding a drop of blood.

“All the delegations who met us congratulated Zimbabwe for the peaceful transition that has happened to this country.

“It’s a huge lesson to them. Most of the countries, Heads of State, heads of organisations, would want to come and have a feel of the atmosphere and environment in Zimbabwe. They were so surprised as to how we were able to resolve our own internal issues,” said the President.

President Mnangagwa said he explained to the world leaders the circumstances that led to his ascension as Head of State and Government, and that Zimbabwe would hold elections this year as required by the Constitution.

“They (foreign leaders) really understood because I briefed them that in terms of our Constitution every five years we hold our general elections and our next general elections will be due this year, second term of this year, and we are going to fulfil this constitutional requirement,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said he was well received at the AU as the new kid on the block, but he was no longer the youngest as he was inaugurated before Liberia’s new leader, Mr George Weah, who took oath of office this year.

“Unfortunately, Zimbabwe becomes number 53 because George Weah was inaugurated after me, so he is number 54; so I am also senior to George Weah,” he said.

“But that aside, almost every single delegation on the continent, Heads of State, heads of institutions, we had an opportunity to discuss and invite them to Zimbabwe and say Zimbabwe is open for business.”

In line with this year’s theme of the AU Summit that focused on combating corruption, President Mnangagwa said he said Zimbabwe had adopted zero tolerance to corruption.

“Yes, the Head of State who chairs that committee is General (Muhammadu) Buhari of Nigeria. The summit congratulated him for the position he has taken (on corruption) in Nigeria, but I don’t know how much effective it is,” he said.

“Another leader was Uhuru (Kenyatta) and then Zimbabwe. We made it explicit that we have zero tolerance on corruption and they congratulated us on that issue and that they believe that the people of Zimbabwe once they take (a) position, they actually implement their decisions.”

On arrival, President Mnangagwa was received by his two deputies, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and VP Kembo Mohadi, Cabinet Ministers and services chiefs.

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