Robert Mugabe Resigns as Zimbabwe’s President, Ending 37-Year Rule<br />HARARE, Zimbabwe — Robert Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 and once proclaimed<br />that "only God will remove me," resigned as president on Tuesday shortly after lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him.<br />The party’s political rival, the Movement for Democratic Change, seconded the motion, a striking sign of the consensus in the political class<br />that Mr. Mugabe must go — one that formed with astonishing speed after the military took Mr. Mugabe into custody last Wednesday.<br />The speaker of the Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, read out a letter in which Mr. Mugabe said he was stepping down "with immediate effect" for "the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe<br />and the need for a peaceful transfer of power." Lawmakers erupted into cheers, and jubilant residents poured into the streets of Harare, the capital.<br />"But being related does not necessarily mean there was any economic relations between us — none at all." On Tuesday night, it was unclear what guarantees Mr. Mugabe<br />and his family had received in return for resigning — whether they had been granted immunity, would be allowed to live in the country or keep their wealth.<br />Jonathan Moyo — a leader of Mrs. Mugabe’s G-40 faction — said in a tweet Monday that he had left the country along with 50 other people.<br />It’s the best news in 37 years!" In an interview with The New York Times in 2016, Mr.<br />Chiyangwa said he was a member of G-40, the faction that had been led by Mrs. Mugabe.
