President Robert Mugabe plans to step down next year — after securing power by hook or by crook in this month’s presidential runoff. It is believed Mugabe, ruler of Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is preparing to hand over power to key ally Emmerson Mnangagwa at Zanu-PF’s congress next year.But first, the veteran leader plans to do everything he can to beat opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, beat Mugabe in the presidential election on March 29 by 47.9% to 42.3%, necessitating the runoff.
After winning the election, Mugabe will then set the stage for Mnangagwa to take over. The minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities has been anointed as heir apparent
Mnangagwa has emerged as the second most powerful person in Zimbabwe since the elections after being appointed chairman of the Joint Operations Command (JOC), which is running Zimbabwe until a new president and government is sworn in.
Insiders say Mugabe has recently taken to hinting about his imminent departure from Zanu-PF. He told his party’s central committee — Zanu-PF’ s second most powerful decision-making body — that it was inevitable that he would pass on the baton. “Succession is a fact of biology, of life,” said Mugabe. “No one individual governs for ever. I have to be succeeded.”
Mugabe, however, did not publicly name a successor. One Politburo member indicated that Mugabe might stay on for about 18 months after winning the run-off — and a date will need to be set for Zanu-PF’s next congress. “The problem is that if he wins and then goes immediately, the party will collapse,” said the member. “There is a lot of factionalism and divisions. Mugabe is very aware of it. That’s why he is staying despite the indications that people are tired of him.”