Mugabe, 'leave state house' or we go back to the streets - Zimbabwe war vets
20 November 2017
Harare – The leader of Zimbabwe's war veterans said they will be bringing the people back to the streets to remove President Robert Mugabe.
Christopher Mutsvangwa, leader of the war veterans, was speaking in Harare on Monday morning after Mugabe was expected to resign on Sunday night, but instead delivered a cryptic speech.
He said the people of Zimbabwe don't want to see him as president. "He went on TV and pretended like everything was normal," he said.
"Please leave state house and let the country have a new beginning…If he can't, we are bringing back the people of Zimbabwe to the street," said Mutsvangwa.
Mutsvangwa said the war veterans were disappointed after Mugabe failed to resign, although he was surrounded by the army generals.
He said Mugabe has "lost his head, and he has lost Zimbabwe".
"We are not going to leave Harare until he is gone," Mutsvangwa said. "He has been in power for 37 years, he should not even have another 37 seconds."
He again praised the military for their role in the attempts to get rid of Mugabe in the past week, reiterating that it wasn’t a coup, but a "military correction".
Mutsvangwa said the military had to take over the role of the police and intelligence to get rid of criminals around Mugabe.
"We are very happy. It was understood by the whole region that this was not a coup," he said.
Mutsvangwa said the war veterans would be approaching the High Court to seek an order declaring the army’s intervention as constitutionally permissible.
Further, the war veterans would also be asking the courts to ensure that non-elected officials aren’t allowed to exercise executive functions.
He referred particularly to first lady Grace Mugabe, who he labelled as "clinically mad".
Mutsvangwa called on Zimbabweans to take to the streets again, while Zanu-PF is expected to set in motion attempts to impeach Mugabe on Tuesday.
"The role of removing Mugabe lies in the political arena," he said.
According to Mutsvangwa, the army would be placed in a difficult position should Zimbabweans take to the streets again.
