By Farai D Hove| ANALYSIS| As he prepares himself to shoot off into eternity, perhaps from his Blue Roof residence, former president Robert Mugabe has told his successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa he is no longer interested in returning to the presidency.

The 94 year old who once swore that he would be President till he is 100 years old, that he would “rule Zimbabwe with firmness,” and also that people who disagree with him must either conform or suffer, says he is not returning to state house.

Mugabe accuses Mnangagwa of betrayal.

“I never thought he whom I have nurtured, brought into government and whose life I worked hard in prison to save as he was threatened with hanging, that one day he would turn against me,” he said of Mnangagwa on this day exactly a month ago.

He also spoke about the horrors of the military takeover in November last year.

“Imagine. They sent 40,000 soldiers against a woman(his wife, Grace) ,’’ she tells me.

“Am I really that dangerous?’’

Mugabe told the British ITV news it was never his plan to install her as the next president.

“All that is rubbish,’’ he said.

He also rejected the accusation she tried to have Mnangagwa poisoned: “She would never do that, she is a Christian.’’

On the military takeover, Mugabe said,
“I say it was a coup d’etat – some people have refused to call it a coup d’etat,” said Mugabe referring to the brief army takeover which led to Emmerson Mnangagwa assuming power after Mugabe’s resignation.

“We must undo this disgrace which we have imposed on ourselves, we don’t deserve it… Zimbabwe doesn’t deserve it,” he said.

On the presidency, Mugabe said, “I don’t want to be president, no of course,” he said. “I’m now 94.”

Mugabe told the SABC and the British ITV News he did not hate the 75 year old Mnangagwa but alleged that he had “betrayed the whole nation”.