Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to hold “democratic” elections next year as scheduled while being sworn in as Zimbabwe’s second president since independence in 1980. Mnangagwa took his oath of office in front of tens of thousands of jubilant Zimbabweans who he greeted with a raised fist at a stadium in Harare.
He also vowed to tackle corruption, reimburse the farmers whose land was seized under his predecessor, Robert Mugabe, and protect foreign investment in Zimbabwe. “We ask those who have punished us in the past to reconsider,” Mnangagwa said, in a possible reference to years of sanctions and international condemnation over rights abuses.
People sang and danced in the stands and raised banners reading “Dawn of a new era” and “No to retribution”, even as human rights activists began to report worrying details of attacks on close allies of the former first lady, Grace Mugabe, and their families. Mnangagwa himself has warned against “vengeful retribution”.
Mugabe did not attend Friday’s swearing-in, but party officials have said he will remain in Zimbabwe. Officials have promised he is safe and that his legacy as a war hero in the fight for independence from white minority rule will stand.
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