Former Zimbabwean president cries as he accepts resignation

Robert Mugabe cried and lamented being "betrayed" by his generals when he reluctantly accepted to step down as president of Zimbabwe.

Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Photo: Reuters.

Zimbabwe's Standard newspaper quoted a well-informed source as saying that former president Robert Mugabe announced his resignation to close associates and a group of negotiators at his private villa called the "Blue House" in the capital Harare. Holding a rosary with a cross in his hand, he wept and lamented being "betrayed by his generals", Reuters reported today.

"He leaned down and said 'people change,'" a source said.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Mail newspaper quoted priest Fidelis Mukonori, a close friend of the former Zimbabwean president, as saying that Mr. Mugabe's face "just lit up" after he signed the resignation letter.

"I told Mugabe that it would be good for him to see someone else running the country," said Father Mukonori.

Mr. Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe since 1980, was forced to resign after the military intervened. The coup in Zimbabwe began late on November 14, allegedly because Mr. Mugabe fired Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa, then vice president, to clear the way for his wife, Mrs. Grace, to take power.

After a period of exile in South Africa, Mr. Mnangagwa returned home and was sworn in on November 24, witnessed by tens of thousands of people.

According to VNE