Mugabe resisting military pressure to quit

President Robert Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe's only legitimate ruler and is resisting mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93‑year‑old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup.

The priest, Fidelis Muko-nori, is acting as a middle‑man between Mugabe and the generals, who seized power on Wednesday in a targeted operation against "criminals" in his entourage.

The source could not provide details of the talks, which appear to be aimed at a smooth and bloodless transition after the departure of Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

Zimbabwean intelligence reports suggest that former security chief Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was ousted as vice‑president this month, has been mapping out a post‑Mugabe vision with the military and opposition for more than a year.

South Africa said Mugabe had told President Jacob Zuma by telephone yesterday that he was confined to his home but was otherwise fine and the military said it was keeping him and his family, including wife Grace, safe.

Despite the lingering admiration for Mugabe, there is little public affection for 52‑year‑old Grace, a former government typist who started having an affair with Mugabe in the early 1990s as his first wife, Sally, was dying of cancer.

Dubbed "DisGrace" or "Gucci Grace" on account of her reputed love of shopping, she enjoyed a rise through the ranks of Mugabe's ruling ZANU‑PF in the last two years, culminating in Mnangagwa's removal a week ago ‑ a move seen as clearing the way for her to succeed her husband.

Source: Reuters