NEWS & ANALYSIS

If Mugabe is stubborn he'll be told to voetsek - Zanu-PF official

Party was not going to turn back on its plan to have the long-time leader kicked out

'If Mugabe becomes stubborn, we'll arrange for him to be fired Sunday,' says Zanu-PF official

Harare – Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party is reportedly gearing up to recall its long-time leader Robert Mugabe from office if the nonagenarian resists pressure from the army to quit.

According to Reuters, a senior member of Mugabe's Zanu-PF party said that the revolutionary party wanted its long-time leader gone and was preparing to fire him on Sunday.

"If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday... When that is done, it's impeachment on Tuesday," the source was quoted as saying.

The Zanu-PF source said that the party was not going to turn back on its plan to have the long-time leader kicked out.

"There is no going back. It's like a match delayed by heavy rain, with the home side leading 90-0 in the 89th minute," the source reportedly said."

President Mugabe was reportedly refusing to step down in what sources close to the military described as the veteran leader trying "buying time" to negotiate his exit.

The talks in Harare on Thursday came after soldiers this week put Mugabe under house arrest, took over state TV and blockaded main roads in a stunning turnaround for the 93-year-old leader who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1980.

Mugabe's motorcade took him from his private residence to the State House for the talks, which were also attended by envoys from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc.

The regional body had convened a special summit in Gaborone, Botswana on Friday.

News24