President Emmerson Mnanagagwa took over from veteran dictator Robert Mugabe last week. But the new regime has already sparked controversy after opposition politicians said the police and the army were still in control.There has been an outcry after it was revealed Mugabe, 93, received a whopping $10 million (£7.5 million) pay-off after 37 years in power that have left his country bankrupted.
Now the President has sacked his entire cabinet, appointing just two new ministers. A spokesman for the President said that Mnangagwa was putting together a new team, and he wanted to get rid of the old ministers so that services were "uninterrupted".
He went on to say that the new leader of Zimbabwe, which has a 90% unemployment record, would meet with ministers tomorrow.Military and police chiefs today warned that there have been outbreaks of looting and illegal occupation of farms and houses in the country since last week's inauguration.
Mugabe, for his part, seems to have cut the mother of all deals, to steal a phrase from a now-deceased autocrat on another continent. Not only will the 93-year-old get a reported $10 million golden parachute to mark the end of his 37-year tenure (a $5 million lump sum up front and the remaining $5 million in tranches) but the government will continue to pay his $150,000 salary and his medical care, according to several media reports. He will be allowed to remain in “Blue Roof,” his 25-bedroom home in Harare, will continue to receive security protection and has been guaranteed that his private properties will remain his. His domestic staff and foreign travel will be paid for by the government, according to media reports.
All that and full immunity to boot. The government has also announced that Robert Mugabe's birthday, February 21, will be declared a public holiday.
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