Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe who has been confined in his home by the military for two days has finally made a public appearance, bringing an end to the political tension. Mugabe appeared at a university graduation ceremony on Friday morning where he received a loud acclamation from the public.
A photo posted by the British newspaper Guardian shows 93-year-old Mugabe dressed in a blue academic gown and mortarboard hat while officiating at the graduation in the capital Harare.
He was part of the graduation procession and walked in his usual slow place towards the podium while the crowd cheered.
On the same morning, the army which took charge of the country since Tuesday made a statement on the state broadcaster which said the talks with Mugabe a day earlier had yielded significant progress.
But questions still hover in many people’s minds especially regarding President Mugabe’s wife Grace Mugabe whose relations with the army hasn’t been the best. Mugabe did not appear with the first lady at the graduation ceremony.
The televised statement by Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) stated that the army had “accounted for some of the criminals around Mugabe in order to bring them to justice since they were committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country while others are still at large”.
But details on the negotiations between Mugabe, the army commander and envoys from South Africa are yet to be disclosed.