Zimbabwe’s ousted vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa added his voice on Tuesday to those demanding President Mugabe resign, saying he needed to heed the “clarion call” of his people and step down.
Mnangagwa said that he had been in contact with Mugabe and invited to return but would not do so until his personal security could be granted, Reuters reports. He fled Zimbabwe because of a threat to his life after being sacked from the ruling party.
“I told the President that I would not return home now until I am satisfied of my personal security, because of the manner and treatment given to me upon being fired,” he said in a statement.
Who is Emmerson Mnangagwa? We look into the life of the man at the centre of Zimbabwe’s current political crisis.
Meanwhile, regional bloc, SADC, is holding an emergency meeting on Zimbabwe in Angola today.
Leaders from South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola are attending the summit.
Current SADC chair,President Jacob Zuma has previously been cautiously optimistic that the situation in Zimbabwe could be resolved amicably.
But it’s not clear at this stage if his stance has changed following Mugabe’s surprise speech on Sunday.
Last week, Zuma sent two of his Cabinet members to Harare on behalf of SADC to mediate negotiations between Mugabe and the army.
