Former president Robert Mugabe has broken silence over his resignation from office last November — and on Monday told visiting chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat — that he stepped down to avoid the country from descending into bloodletting conflict.

Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist for close to four decades, “resigned” from the top office on November 21 last year — hours after Parliament had initiated proceedings to impeach him.

This happened after he had refused to leave office during eight tense days that began with the military intervening in the governance of the country.

But for the first time since his inglorious exit from politics, Mugabe who turned 94 years today, on Monday told Mahamat that he gave up power for the sake of peace and development.

“Since it was the first time I was visiting the country, I could not go without meeting him . . . and since (ex) president Mugabe forms part of the heroes who have fought for the continent, he is common heritage for us and he is recognised by the authorities of the country.

“We exchanged views, I found him to be very lucid and he also explained why he had resigned, it is for peace and development of the country . . . , so we appreciated very much and we did discuss very much at ease,” Mahamat, who was on a three-day working visit to Zimbabwe, told journalists yesterday, via an interpreter.

It was the first time that Mugabe had broken his silence from the time his unflappable rule came to an end after the dramatic military intervention on November 15 which culminated his eventual resignation.

The curtain fell on the veteran former Zimbabwe and Zanu PF leader on November 21 when he resigned moments after Parliament had started proceedings to impeach him.

This followed a military intervention code-named Operation Restore Legacy which saw the nonagenarian and his wife, Grace, being placed under house arrest.

Several Cabinet ministers linked to the Generation 40 (G40) faction who had coalesced around Grace were targeted in the operation which ended a week before Christmas, with the soldiers only retreating to the barracks after five weeks of executing the operation.

Among the former ministers who were targeted are alleged G40 kingpins — Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao and Saviour Kasukuwere — who are now living in self-imposed exile following the fall of Mugabe.

Moyo and Zhuwao have been publicly and viciously attacking President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government through social media and interviews with foreign media over the past few weeks.

On his part, Kasukuwere — who is said to be trying to smoke a peace pipe with Mnangagwa’s government — is being linked in some quarters to alleged cloak-and-dagger activities of the mooted National Patriotic Front (NPF), which is also courting opposition parties to take on Zanu PF and its leader in this year’s crucial national elections.

It has been reported that the G40 is allegedly bidding to bring together former vice president Joice Mujuru and the MDC, as part of its wider campaign to stop Mnangagwa from winning this year’s make-or-break elections — whose dates are yet to be announced.

Mujuru, who now somehow enjoys the G40’s support, recently held talks with Mugabe at his “Blue Roof” mansion in Harare — three years after she was sacked from both Zanu PF and government by the 94-year-old.

The NPP leader was ruthlessly cut loose by Mugabe in the run-up to Zanu PF’s 2014 congress, together with other then leading ruling party figures who included former Cabinet ministers Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo — on untested allegations of seeking to topple the power-addicted nonagenarian.

Mujuru’s meeting with Mugabe coincided with the announcement of the formation of the NPF, which is said to be driven by the exiled G40 kingpins.

Mahamat came to Zimbabwe two weeks after disgruntled G40 stalwarts wrote to regional and continental bodies, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the AU, appealing for their intervention to help Zimbabwe return to “constitutional rule”.

Yesterday, Mahamat said the AU was satisfied with the political developments which brought about the end of Mugabe’s long rein — putting paid to hopes the proponents of the NPF might have been having of delegitimising Mnangagwa’s administration.

“We have said that and everybody has noted that the transition in the country has been a peaceful transition according to the laws of the land and it is the responsibility of the African Union to support and accompany countries in such situations to ensure that there is peace and stability in the country and all others have to respect the sovereignty and the decisions of the country. If there is any unconstitutional change of government then we also have our instruments, we have our rules then it applies in that case,” Mahamat said.

Mahamat, who was accompanied to the press conference by Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo, said he was satisfied by his visit to the country, adding that the AU will push for the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe as a way of improving the people’s economic situation.

During his visit, Mahamat met with Mnangagwa, senior government officials, speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Priscillah Chigumba.

“The African Union is ready to support Zimbabwe in the electoral process and the commissioner for political affairs has met the head of the electoral commission and a team of the African Union will be coming to Zimbabwe so that it will continue to work with that organ, the electoral commission.

“The African Commission is mobilising partners so that they can actively support Zimbabwe in this process and also to have the elections,” Mahamat said.

Since Mugabe’s resignation, Mnangagwa’s government has been consistent in safeguarding the security and interests of Mugabe and his family.

During his appearance at the AU annual meeting in Ethiopia last month, Mnangagwa told the continental leaders that there was no need to worry about Mugabe and his family’s security as they were well-looked after.

Mnangagwa’s government has gone on to give him an eye-watering exit package which includes benefits commensurate with those of a sitting Head of State.

Details of the frail nonagenarian’s massive handshake were announced in the Government Gazette at the end of last year under Presidential Pension and Retirement Packages Notice 2017.- Daily News