Ex-Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe calls ouster 'coup d'etat'

In this file photo taken on October 03 2017 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe attends the 2nd Session of the South AfricaZimbabwe binational Commission BNC at Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe described his departure from office in November as a coup detat in his first TV interview since then aired by South Africas state broadcaster on March 15 2018 PicAFPFormer Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe described his departure from office in November as a coup detat that we must undo in his first TV interviews since then aired todayMugabe 94 spoke slowly but clearly to South Africas SABC broadcaster from an office in Harare dressed in a grey suit sitting in front of a portrait of himself and his wife Grace I say it was a coup detat some people have refused to call it a coup detat said Mugabe referring to the brief army takeover which led to Emmerson Mnangagwa assuming power after Mugabes resignationWe must undo this disgrace which we have imposed on ourselves we dont deserve it Zimbabwe doesnt deserve it In another similarly vehement interview with Britains ITV News the elderly former leader said he had no desire to return to power I dont want to be president no of course he said Im now 94Mugabe told both interviewers he did not hate his successor President Mnangagwa 75 but alleged that he had betrayed the whole nation The ousted leader insisted he would not work with Mnangagwa and suggested that his presidency was illegal and unconstitutionalPeople must be chosen in government in a proper way Im willing to discuss willing to assist in that process but I must be invited he saidGideon Chitanga an analyst at the Johannesburgbased Political Economy Southern Africa thinktank said that Mugabes intervention was significant coming at a time of electionsPresidential polls are due by the end of August in which Mnangagwa will face his first major electoral test In the back of his mind Mugabe still sees himself as part of the problem and part of the solution said ChitangaMugabes media appearance was apparently organised by the new National Patriotic Front NPF party which hopes to unseat Mnangagwas government in polls expected by AugustMugabe sent shockwaves through the ZANUPF ruling party when he recently met with the NPFs leader retired general Ambrose Mutinhiri In response to a widelyshared image of the two ZANUPF Youth League supporters chanted down with Mugabe at a rally a rare outburst from the normally disciplined party that Mugabe led for nearly four decades Mugabe was forced to quit the political scene he had dominated since independence from Britain in 1980 when the military stepped in and ZANUPF lawmakers launched impeachment proceedings against their once beloved leader Since his dramatic reversal of fortune he has largely stayed out of public life until breaking his silence todayDespite widespread jubilation following the armys seizure of power many Zimbabweans are now disenchanted by what they see as a mere changing of the guard at the top of Zimbabwes authoritarian system It was a coup with a script to turn this into a military state The people wanted a change of the entire ZANUPF system not just one individual businessman Munyaradzi Chihota 40 told AFP as he travelled homeThe situation has not changed since they removed Mugabe If anything we are worse off Mugabe is 100 per cent right that this was a military coup that this country has been turned into a military state and that this has to be undone The military moved against Mugabe after he sacked his thendeputy and heirapparent Mnangagwa seemingly fearing the nonagenarian was grooming Grace to succeed him as presidentThe former first lady had cultivated her own factional support base within ZANUPF known as G40 that was seen as hostile to the security establishment Mnangagwa in particular I never thought he would be the man who turned against me said MugabeIt was truly a military takeover there was no movement visible unless that movement was checked and allowed by the army Evan Mawarire a pastor who became the face of antiMugabe demonstrations last year tweeted that Mugabe destroyed our lives Today he appears on foreign media which he banned and claims he must be invited to a transitional process for Zimbabwe RetireInPeaceBob Reflecting on his decades in power which were marked by catastrophic economic policies Mugabe remained adamant it had been a success story and any errors werent that badIf anything in comparison to other countries in Africa we have had greater prosperity here and people have their land he told ITV News However when questioned about well documented human rights abuses throughout his tenure Mugabe appeared more acknowledging of reality We have been accused of that and on that side yes some errors were doneCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced 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