Qualla: 2017 Zimbabwean Coup d'Etat

2017 Zimbabwean Coup d'Etat: Introduction

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The tanks appeared on the streets of Harare on the evening of 14 November 2017. By morning, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces controlled the state broadcaster, key intersections, and -- though they insisted otherwise -- the country. It was not a coup, the generals said. Robert Mugabe, 93 years old and president for 37 years, was 'safe and sound.' The situation would normalize once the military had dealt with the 'criminals' surrounding him. Within a week, Mugabe was gone, and the word the generals refused to use was the only one that fit.

2017 Zimbabwean Coup d'Etat: The Succession Fight

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The crisis began with a question that had hung over Zimbabwe for years: who would succeed Mugabe? By October 2017, the contest had narrowed to two factions within the ruling ZANU-PF party. Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a liberation-war veteran with deep ties to the military ...

2017 Zimbabwean Coup d'Etat: A Week of Careful Force

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On 13 November, army chief General Constantino Chiwenga -- freshly returned from an official visit to China where he had met senior Chinese generals -- warned publicly that the military could 'step in' to halt the party purges. Mugabe's government attempted to arrest Chiwenga upo...

2017 Zimbabwean Coup d'Etat: The Street and the Chamber

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On Saturday, 18 November, the people of Harare answered a question the generals could not resolve alone. Tens of thousands poured into the streets in what became a euphoric, peaceful demonstration -- not just in the capital but in cities and towns across the country. Crowds celeb...

2017 Zimbabwean Coup d'Etat: A New Old Guard

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as president on 24 November 2017. He promised economic reform, re-engagement with the international community, and a break from the Mugabe era. South African President Jacob Zuma had phoned Mugabe during his house arrest and confirmed the situation...