Zimbabwe's New Leader to Repay White Farmers, Pay Off Mugabe

Zimbabwe's new president appears to be playing a delicate balancing act, providing ousted Robert Mugabe with a generous "retirement package" worth several million dollars while promising compensation for white settlers whose farms were seized during the mass movement for fast-track land reform in the early 2000s.

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During his inaugural speech to 60,000 people in Harare's colorfully decorated national stadium, President Emmerson Mnangagwa praised the former guerrilla leader who ushered in the end of white rule in what was then Rhodesia, calling Mugabe a "founding father" of the nation.

However, Mnangagwa also called on the West to lift sanctions on the country, noting the nation's new start while saying "isolation has never been splendid or viable."

Noting that the roots of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle lay in the fight to reclaim land that was robbed from Black communities and Indigenous peoples, first by British colonial rule then by an independent white-ruled Rhodesia, Mnangagwa exhorted Land-Reform beneficiaries to ensure national food security and economic recovery.

Making clear the reforms – which, from 2000, led to mass marches by landless war veterans who expropriated thousands of white-owned farms – would not be reversed, Mnangagwa promised that those who were dispossessed by the reclamations would receive compensation.

In neighboring South Africa, the militant Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party welcomed the relatively peaceful transition of power, but warned against any reversal of the gains of decolonization.

"We call on Zimbabweans never to undo the land program or return the land to the white settler communities,” said EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

"This is one legacy of President Mugabe that must be advanced and protected at all costs. We say this because we know that some celebrate the resignation of President Mugabe with the hope that this important revolutionary gain will be undermined. It is the obligation of all Pan-Africanist to protect all the gains of decolonization in Zimbabwe."

In his speech, the new president also praised Mugabe's commitment to a peaceful resolution of the crisis in which he and his wife lost power when the military seized control.

"For me personally he is a mentor, father, comrade in arms, and my leader," Mnangagwa said of the 93-year old former president, who was not in attendance.

"While we cannot change the past, there is a lot we can do in the present and the future to give our nation a different positive direction.”

Mnangagwa also committed to rebuilding the country as a market economy that would work alongside the public sector to use agriculture and abundant natural resources to spearhead an "investment-led economic recovery that puts a premium on job-creation."

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Reports indicate that Mugabe and his wife Grace have been assured no actions will be taken against the family's business interests. The former head of state will also receive a cash payment of US$5m immediately, along with further payments in the near future, according to a senior member of the ZANU-PF party.

Mugabe's US$150,000 salary will also be paid until his death, while his 52-year-old wife will receive half that amount for the remainder of her life. The former first couple has also been assured they can remain in the sprawling Harare mansion known as the Blue Roof, and the state will continue paying for their medical care, domestic staff, security and foreign travel.

A loyal aid to the outgoing leader for decades, Mnangagwa appealed to citizens of the country to abstain from any form of "vengeful retribution" against Mugabe.

"Whatever errors of commission or omission that might have occurred during that critical phase in the life of our nation, let us all accept and acknowledge (Mugabe's) immense contribution towards the building of our nation," he said.

Mugabe didn't attend the lavish inauguration ceremony, citing the need to rest. South African President Jacob Zuma, arguably the most influential head of state in the region, also did not attend.