Robert Mugabe, the former Zimbabwe president who ruled the Southern African nation with an iron fist freely and voluntarily stepped down from power in November 2017 after 37 years, the Chief Justice Luke Malaba has ruled.
Mugabe stepped down last year as the country’s president after the military mounted pressure in what many believe was a coup.
But it emerged yesterday that Mr Mugabe carefully applied his mind and decided to step down without the embarrassment of impeachment.
“The former President’s written notice of resignation speaks for itself.
“It sets the context in which it was written.
“He candidly reveals the fact that he had communicated with the Speaker of Parliament at 1353 hours. In the communication, the former President expressed to the Speaker his desire to resign from the office of President.
“The Speaker must have advised him that for the resignation to have the legal effect of bringing his presidency to an end, it had to be communicated to him by means of a written notice.
“A written notice of resignation addressed to the Speaker and signed by the President, on the face of it, meets the first requirement of constitutional validity,” said the Chief Justice.
The Liberal Democrats and Revolutionary Freedom Fighters, as well as activists Bongani Nyathi, Linda Masarira and Vusumuzi Sibanda, sought the green light to contest the legality of the President Mnangagwa-led Government.
They argued that Mr Mugabe tendered the resignation under duress and that the assumption of office by President Mnangagwa was unconstitutional.
