President Mugabe Inauguration Live Blog

1807: Addressing Heads of States, President Mugabe said Africa was now weak and had abandoned principles of its founding fathers.

1620: President Mugabe is now hosting his inauguration luncheon for the Heads of States who have come to grace his ceremony.

1451: Jamaica’s legendary Reggae group, Black Uhuru is now entertaining the massive crowd while the now inaugurated President, Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Republic of Zimbabwe is leaving the stadium. Plenty of entertainment in lined up at the NSS and among the entertainers is Alick Macheso, Suluman Chimbeti, Baba Mechanic Manyeruke among others.

1426: Selected guests are now shaking the President’s hand as congratulations.

1423: She thanked the Heads of State present and their delegations.

1421: On behalf of the people of Zimbabwe, my family and myself I wish to congratulate you for accepting the demanding role of leading this nation to greater heights.

1419: She said we, in Zimbabwe, consider ourselves lucky and priviledged because we benefit from the counsel of President Mugabe.

1418: Zanu PF Second Secretary and Vice President Joice Mujuru is now giving her congratulatory message and vote of thanks.

1400: He concludes his speech and urges the nation and those in attendance to enjoy themselves.

1359: He castigates homosexuality saying it destroys nations and describes it as being a filthy disease.

1357: The President assures the civil servants that their conditions shall be improved.

1353: I pay my respects to my former GPA partners Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, Mr Arthur Mutambara and later Mr Welshman Ncube.

1350: Today as we celebrate this inauguration, we are celebrating also the role that Africa has played in shaping our destination beginning with our struggle.

1347: He thanks Sadc, AU for standing with Zimbabwe.

1346: The current Western policy of sponsoring conflict of the Middle East must be condemned as the situations in Syria and Egypt show.

1345: Zimbabwe is fast turning into a huge warehouse of all manner of imports. Our cotton industry has collapsed and with it many small growers have also collapsed…plans to resuscitate never took off largely due to internal contradictions in the unity government. Diplomatically, we seek to diversify our relations…principally we continue to look East.

1342: When all is said and done our financial system will need to be examined.

1337: The new cabinet will be expected to move with speed in mobilising adequate resources.

1335: We need a controlling share in all ventures that exploit our non renewable resources, where we can we will go it alone, where we cannot we shall get partners. Genuine partners will find this exceptable.

1333: We dare not let our people down.

1332: We need to intensify the exploitation of the deposits in the mining sector above all we need to move purposely towards adding value to our minerals. The scope is great… we have created great skill amongst you, those skills must now be put to great use. We must develop ourselves so we create more and more employment for our youths, our people.

1331: After the elections, time has come to turn to our own resources.

1330: The President thanked the observers from outside the country, security forces, the agents saying it was a combined thrust and the activities combined in creating the environment in which the country was able to achieve peace and vote peacefully.

1328: Almighty God may favour us but we have been under sanctions for a decade most likely we might remain under these sanctions for much longer…

1326: He speaks of the expectations of the various people in Zimbabwe and they have to be fulfilled. He describes them as great expectations.

1323: I stand before you as now a sworn President of Zimbabwe, my mandate comes from the just ended election in which through my party Zanu PF you gave me and my party that mandate as the party won the elections resoundingly but there are key truths that come with that victory which come with that honour. The peasant who cast his vote on July 31 and thus made a portion of my presidency. I am his servant. He or she did not cast that vote in vain.

1320: Our resources have not yet fully come our way, yes we regained control of our land and our people are happy..they are beginning to use it profitably…they have become key players in agriculture proving they are good farmers….it has been a key milestone but our dominion goes beyond the land, goes in all the resources in our territory including those lying beneath our land, minerals. Nature has been generous, prodigal in fact granting us and many other African nations.

1315: He said it is America which dares raise a censorious voice over our affairs and says our elections were not fair, were not credible. Today it is the Anglo Saxons who dare contradict Africa’s verdict. Who are they we ask? Who are they that see better than us? With elections now behind us we can now focus on building our nation that has been ravaged by illegal sanctions.

1313: We cannot be bought, we belong to Africa, we follow African values, we abide by the judgement of Africa as we did in 2008 when Africa advised us to set aside the results of the election. We did so because Africa had been with us, Africa had fought along side us and helped achieve our freedom and sovereignty and we thank them.

1311: The days of colonialism and neo-colonialism have gone forever.

1310: Those western countries who hold a different and negative view of the outcome of the national processes but they should be dismissed. Zimbabwean elections are meant for Zimbabwe’s voting citizens. He said after-all Zimbabwean democracy is meant for Zimbabweans whose sole prerogative and no outsider, no matter how superior they imagine to be, can take it away from them.

1307: He welcomes the positive spirit from the countries that acknowledged the peacefulness, fairness of the elections.

1306: He said we pay unstinting tribute to the people who practised peace in their immediate neighbourhoods which fed into national peace. he paid tribute to his partners in the GNU and the church. He counts on all of them for durable peace.

1304: The President said Zimbabwe was imaged as a society at war. He said since the disputed poll in 2008, Zimbabwe had hung on a fraught unity government.

1301: He said the new constitution came about by sitting together as a united people. The day is a celebration of the new charter which will guide the people for the foreseeable future.

1259: The President said the just ended polls whose high point is today’s gathering.

1257: He says he was aware of the inconveniences suffered by the late invitations to the Heads of States. He said certain constitutional issues caused the delay.

1254: President Mugabe is now addressing the crowd.

1245: Alick Macheso entertains the crowd.

1219: President Mugabe inspects the Guard of Honour.

1215: Outgoing Defence Minister Emerson Mnangagwa said this event evokes the memory of 1980. He said the inauguration has evoked the spirit of the liberation. He said it was a celebration in grand style.

1209: The 21 Gun Salute is being fired in honour of President Mugabe while five Airforce of Zimbabwe Jets fly past in diamond formation.

1157: Service Chiefs take their pledge of allegiance.

1154: Master of Ceremony Cde Webster Shamu kindly asks the Women’s League members to leave the stadium pitch after invading it in joy.

1151: Chief Chidyausiku adorns President Mugabe with the sash.

1151: President Mugabe signs to acknowledge his pledge to serve the nation of Zimbabwe.

1147: President takes the Oath of Office pledging his allegiance to serving Zimbabwe to wild ululations, applause, cheers and whistles.

1145: Chief Justice Chidyausiku starts the administering of the Oath of Office.

1144: Master of Ceremony Cde Webster Shamu invites Chief Justice Chidyausiku to the podium as well the President-Elect Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

1143: Anglican Bishop Chad Gandiya prayed before Reverend Johannes Ndanga leader of the apostolics Association and Trevor Manhanga of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe prayed as well.

1137: Prophet Andrew Wutawunashe is now praying at the NSS.

1126: The National Anthem is now being sung at the NSS.

1120: President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe enter the National Sports Stadium to loud cheers, ululation and whistling. The crowd has just gone wild here at the NSS. The President is interchanging waving the revolutionary fist and clapping his hands in gratitude to the people who have come to witness his inauguration.

1114: Zimbabwe National Liberation War collaborators Association secretary for information and publicity Cde Charles Ndawana says inauguration is very important and it reminds the nation of the 1980 independence.

1110: Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete, Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Mozambique President Armando Guebuza, Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba, Zambia Vice President Guy Scott, Swaziland Prime Minister Barnabas Dhlamini are now at the NSS.

1107: President of the DRC Joseph Kabila and South Africa VP Kgalema Motlanthe have arrived at the NSS.

1103: Former Presidents of South Africa and Namibia, Thabo Mbeki and Sam Nujoma respectively have arrived at the NSS.

1057: The Service Chiefs, High and Supreme Court Judges have arrived.

1056: Vice President Joice Mujuru and Zanu PF National Chairman, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo have arrived at the National Sports Stadium (NSS).

1033: Zambia’s Vice President Guy Scott has arrived at the Harare International Airport as did former President Dr Kenneth Kaunda.

1030: One of the country’s first cabinet members and Dare ReChimurenga member, Cde Kumbirai Kangai,  says he is optimistic about the new Government and that Zanu PF’s victory in the just ended elections will see development projects being implemented expeditiously.

Cde Kangai was the first Labour Minister.

1018: President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo has arrived at the Harare International Airport. He was welcomed by the DRC community living in Zimbabwe. There was great ululation and applause.

The police had to intervene to control the cheerful Congolese who were chanting slogans and waving a banner.

1006: South Africa’s Vice President Kgalema Motlanthe as well as former President Thabo Mbeki have arrived at the Harare International Airport and were welcomed by Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

1002: President of Mozambique Armando Geubuza has arrived and is welcomed by Cde Didymus Mutasa at the Harare International Airport.

0946: Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and former President Sam Nujoma have arrived at the Harare International Airport.

0922: Outgoing Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development and Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi have arrived at Harare International Airport to welcome dignitaries expected this morning.

0903: Mozambique President Armando Geubuza, DRC’s Joseph Kabila, Namibian leader Hifikepunye Pohamba, former South African President Thabo Mbeki while Vice President Kgalema Motlanthe will represent South Africa are expected to arrive this morning.

0836: Scores of people are gathered at the Harare International Airport waiting for digni.taries arriving for the inauguration of President Mugabe. Officials from different embassies and their families are waiting for their Heads of States.

0830: Long queues started forming early this morning at the National Sports Stadium as Zimbabweans are keen to witness the historic inauguration of President Robert Gabriel Mugabe.