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Speaker of the House of Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda announcing the swearing in of Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa as President of Zimbabwe in parliament. Picture by John Manzongo

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter—
Zanu-PF has nominated Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa to fill the vacancy in the Office of the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe following of President Mugabe’s resignation this week. He will be sworn-in on Friday. Announcing Cde Mnangagwa’s nomination, Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda said he had gazetted President Mugabe’s resignation in the Government Gazette as required by law.

“I have received a letter from Zanu-PF in terms of paragraph 14 (4)(b) as read with paragraph (5) of Part 4 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which provides as follows: “Notwithstanding Section 101 but subject to subparagraphs (5) and (6), if the person elected President in any election referred to in subparagraph (1) dies, resigns or is removed from office-

-(b) the vacancy in the Office of President must be filled by a nominee of the political party, which the President represented when he or she stood for election. (5) A political party which is entitled to nominate a person in terms of subparagraph (4) (b) must notify the Speaker of the nominee’s name within 90 days after vacancy occurred in the Office of the President, and thereupon the nominee assumes office as President after taking the oath of President in terms of Section 94 which oath the nominee must take within 48 hours after the Speaker was notified of his or her name,” Advocate Mudenda said.

He added: “In the letter referred to above, Zanu-PF has notified me that the Central Committee of Zanu-PF met in a special session at the party headquarters in Harare on 19th November 2017 and resolved that: “In the event that Cde R.G. Mugabe resigned or was impeached, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa was appointed as Zanu-PF nominee to fill the vacancy in the Office of the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe in terms of Part 4 of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (Number 20) Paragraph (14) (4) (b) as read with paragraph (5).”

Advocate Mudenda said Parliament had informed the Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, of the nomination of Cde Mnangagwa in order for him to make the necessary administrative arrangements for the taking of the oath.

“The Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet is making the necessary arrangements for the swearing in of the incoming President, Cde E.D. Mnangagwa. I am advised that the swearing in is planned for Friday 24th November. Details will be provided later by the relevant authorities,” he said.

Meanwhile, Advocate Mudenda yesterday gazetted the Notice of Resignation by President Mugabe under General Notice 652 of 2017.

“It is hereby notified that I, Advocate Jacob Francis Mudenda, Speaker of the National Assembly, on Tuesday the 21st of November, received a written notification from His Excellency the President, R.G. Mugabe in terms of Section (96) (1) of the Constitution, that he has resigned as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe with immediate effect,” reads the Government Gazette.

Former President Mugabe resigned after Parliament had commenced impeachment proceedings against him on allegations of, among others, abrogating his constitutional authority to his wife, Dr Grace Mugabe, who was making utterances on Government business and accessing classified information without authority.