HARARE: Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe cried and lamented “betrayal by his lieutenants” when he agreed to step down last week under pressure from the military and his party after 37 years in power, the Standard newspaper said in its Sunday edition.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe loyalist, was sworn in on Friday and attention is focused on whether he will name a broad-based government or select figures from Mugabe’s era.
The newspaper quoted sources within Mugabe’s inner circle as saying the devout Catholic held a rosary as he told his close associates and a team of negotiators at his “Blue House” Harare mansion that he was resigning. He announced the decision as parliament heard a motion to impeach him.
“He looked down and said ‘people were chameleons’,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.
The state-owned Sunday Mail quoted Father Fidelis Mukonori, a Jesuit priest who is a close Mugabe friend and mediated his resignation with the military, as saying Mugabe’s face “just glowed” after he signed the resignation letter.
“So we are not talking about a bitter man. I told him that it was good for him to see someone running the country...,” Mukonori told the Sunday Mail.
Neither Father Mukonori nor Mugabe’s close aides were immediately available for comment.
Mugabe’s fall after 37 years in power was spurred by a battle to succeed him that pitted Mnangagwa, who had stood by him for 52 years, and Mugabe’s wife Grace, who is 52.
The privately-owned Standard newspaper, which has been critical of Mugabe and his government over the years, urged Mnangagwa to “walk the talk on graft.”
At his swearing in ceremony on Friday, Mnangagwa said he valued democracy, tolerance and the rule of law and would tackle corruption. He has also urged citizens not to undertake “vengeful retribution.”
The new government is already moving to bring some of Mugabe and his wife’s close associates to book and former finance minister Ignatius Chombo was in court on Saturday on corruption charges.
Chombo was among several members of a group allied to Grace who were detained and expelled from the ruling ZANU-PF party after the military seized power in “Operation Legacy” which it said was meant to remove the “criminals” around Mugabe.
Chombo, who told the court he was forcibly removed from his home on Nov. 15 by armed men wearing military uniform, was detained until Monday when his bail application will be heard. He was led away in leg irons together with ousted head of the ruling ZANU-PF’s influential youth league Kudzanai Chipanga.
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe cried when he agreed to step down, report says
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe cried when he agreed to step down, report says
India fines IndiGo record $2.45 million over mass flight cancellations
- India’s largest airline scrapped about 4,500 flights in the first weeks of December
- India’s largest airline scrapped about 4,500 flights in the first weeks of December
NEW DELHI: India’s aviation regulator on Saturday fined IndiGo a record $2.45 million, issued warnings to senior executives and directed the airline to remove the head of its operations control from his duties after mass flight cancelations last month.
India’s largest airline scrapped about 4,500 flights in the first weeks of December, stranding tens of thousands of passengers nationwide and highlighting concerns over limited competition in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market.
The airline has acknowledged that poor pilot roster planning was the main cause of the disruption. A probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found several deficiencies at the airline after stricter pilot rest and duty rules came into effect last year, the regulator said in a statement.
IndiGo, which holds 65 percent of India’s domestic market, failed to properly identify planning gaps or maintain adequate operational buffers, the DGCA said, adding that the airline had an “overriding focus” on maximizing the use of crew, aircraft, and network resources.
“(IndiGo’s) approach compromised roster integrity and adversely impacted operational resilience,” the DGCA said.
A government source said that the fine was the largest imposed by the authority to date, though it amounted to just 0.31 percent of IndiGo’s annual profit for fiscal 2024/25.
IndiGo said in a statement that its board and management were “committed to taking full cognizance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures.”
The DGCA issued warnings to several senior executives, including Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras and Jason Herter, senior vice president of the operations control center. It directed IndiGo to relieve Herter of his operational duties.
CEO Pieter Elbers received a “caution” for “inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management,” the regulator said.
IndiGo was also ordered to provide a bank guarantee of $5.51 million in favor of the DGCA to ensure “compliance with the directives and long-term systemic correction.”
The DGCA said the aviation ministry had also ordered an internal inquiry into the regulator’s own functioning. The cancelations prompted the government to temporarily relax some rules on night duties for pilots to help stabilize IndiGo’s operations, a move criticized by pilot unions and safety advocates. India’s competition regulator is reviewing allegations of antitrust violations by the two-decade-old airline.
