began to extort money from the public.
Britain, the former colonial power, said it would send Africa Minister Rory Stewart to the ceremony -- but it is understood that no member of the royal family will attend. Mugabe’s iron grip ended Tuesday in a shock announcement to parliament, where MPs had convened to impeach the 93-year-old leader who had dominated every aspect of Zimbabwean public life for decades.
He was last seen in public on Friday and gave a televised address on Sunday, but neither he nor his wife Grace has been seen since, with their whereabouts unknown. On the streets, news that his long and often brutal leadership was over sparked wild celebrations which lasted late into the night.
A former key Mugabe ally, Mnangagwa had fled the country after his dismissal, saying he would not return without guarantees for his safety. His sacking was the result of an increasingly bitter succession battle with Grace Mugabe, who had been pushing to take over from her ageing husband.
But critics describe Mnangagwa as a ruthless hard-liner, warning that he could prove just as authoritarian as his mentor. Peter Fabricius, an analyst at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies said many opposition figures will be expecting Mnangagwa to establish a power-sharing government of national unity.
"In toppling Mugabe, (the generals and Mnangagwa) also let the genie of democracy out the bottle, propelled by euphoria," he wrote in a research note. "Trying to squeeze it back in may not be easy."
Mugabe’s resignation capped a chaotic week in which the military seized control and tens of thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets in an unprecedented show of dissent against Mugabe, who left behind an economy in ruins. "We hope to be able to access our money from the bank come December and the US dollar must come back," said Talent Chamunorwa, 37, a brick seller. He was referring to Zimbabwe’s chronic shortage of cash and a mistrusted scheme for "bond notes" whose value is supposed to be linked to the US currency, but which trade at a significantly lower rate in reality.