[Geemonster]

TANKS have been seen storming towards Zimbabwe's capital amid rumours dictator Robert Mugabe is facing a military coup.
Heavily armed soldiers and military vehicles are steaming towards the capital of Harare just 24 hours after the head of the army warned he was prepared to "step in" to overthrow Mugabe.
Mugabe's sacking of his main oppinent for power, Emerson Mnangagwa, 75, has led to soaring tensions between his ruling regime and the armed forces in recent weeks.
Zimbabwe's army chief Gen Constantino Chiwenga has accused Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, of purging his vice president in his own interests.
Mugabe, the 93-year-old leader of the Zanu-PF party, is thought to favour his wife, Grace, 55, as his successor.
In response, Zanu-PF today said Chiwenga's statement amounted to "treasonable conduct" and vowed to "never succumb to pressure from the military".
But the army want a head-of-state with a military background and more credibility on the international stage to lead the east African country into a new era.
Now images of military vehicles – including tanks carrying troops with assault rifles – have surfaced on social media in what appears to be an attempt to dipose the president.
Military vehicles are blocking off several routes into the city, with four tanks parked around 14 miles away on the main road from Harare to Chinhoyi.
That road, on the outskirts of Harare, leads towards the barracks housing the Presidential Guard, the troops tasked with protecting Mugabe.
"There were about four tanks and they turned right here, you can see markings on the road," one witness said.
State TV broadcaster ZBC has also been surrounded by members of the armed forces, local reports say.
Zimbabwe troops are refusing to confirm whether a coup attempt against Mugabe is taking place, according to Reuters.



Iron rule Mugabe has been ruler of Zimbabwe for 37 years and is the worlds oldest president.

[Bletch]

The end of Mugabe.

Zimbabwe crisis: Army takes over but denies coup http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-41992351




Edit: he’s done.


And to think WHO wanted to make this maniac a goodwill ambassador.

[Oswald2001]

I expected 'Mad' Mugabe to be murdered in a coup at least 25 years ago.

Better late than never.

[kellyhound]

Bout time.

9 ROBERT MUGABE FACTS

1) At 91, he is the oldest head of state on Earth, head of Tunisia’s president Beji Caid Essebsi, who is 88. He has been in power for 35 years.

2) He enjoys being compared to Hitler. When someone made the comparison, due to his alleged racist attitudes towards white people, Mugabe responded, ‘I am still the Hitler of the time.

This Hitler has only one objective, justice for his own people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people, and their right to their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold.’

3) Despite his age, the President shows no intention of stepping down – he reaffirmed his intention to lead Zimbabwe on 20th December last year, saying that he would stand again in 2018.

4) His birthday party will cost £650,000 – a display Human Rights Watch has branded ‘obscene’ in a country where one in three children is stunted due to hunger, according to the UN.

5) His successor might be his secretary. Arguments over who will succeed Mugabe have raged for years – but some suggest his wife Grace will assume leadership. She used to be his secretary.

6) Mugabe was actually knighted, but his knighthood was withdrawn in 2008 after 14 years.

7) When Gordon Brown attempted to step in over Mugabe’s refusal to release election results (he lost, but remains in power through a new sharing arrangement) in 2008, Mugabe described him as a, ‘a little tiny dot on this planet’.

8) Mugabe was raised in a Jesuit school, and is a devoted Catholic, attending the funeral of the last Pope despite a ‘no fly’ rule barring him from most of the planet.

9) Mugabe was actually nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize when he took power in 1981, but a series of massacres which left thousands dead turned global opinion against him.

10) Mugabe has (allegedly) fiddled elections using intimidation and other tactics – and also won the lottery in Zimbabwe in 2000, winning 100,000 Zimbabwean dollars.

11) Mugabe was originally a teacher, and while his regime has become notorious for violence, Zimbabwe has a literacy level of above 90%.

12) A popular conspiracy theory suggests that Mugabe died long ago and has been replaced by his own body double. Photos suggest otherwise.

13) Mugabe claims that age has not diminished his strength – suggesting, ‘I feel as energetic as a nine year old boy.’

14) Mugabe often drops provocative quotes about how much he hates white people, such as, ‘The white man is here as a second citizen. The only man you can trust is a dead white man.’

15) For years, Mugabe has travelled to East Asia for medical treatment – reputed to involve transfusions – which has left him, he claims, ‘Fitter than two fiddles’.

16) Mugabe’s guests will enjoy two elephants at the birthday ‘do’ – provided by a local farmer, much to the horror of conservationists.

17) Guests at his birthday will receive T-shirts commemorating events in Mugabe’s life.

18) Mugabe led his country’s revolution against a colonial regime backed by Britain in 1980, and he still has support among some Africans.

Mugabe was elected chairman of the 54-nation African Union at a summit of African leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

19) He spent ten years in prison before assuming the leadership of Zimbabwe.

[Arkoquisa]

Rhodesia sure has gone to shit.

[Geemonster]

I remember it being called that and remember Mugabe on the news as a kid too.