President Robert Mugabe must step down so that free and fair elections can be held immediately‚ Mmusi Maimane‚ leader of South Africa's official opposition Democratic Alliance‚ said on Wednesday - as he urged Pretoria to dump its quiet diplomacy approach towards its near neighbour.
The Zimbabwean Defence Force has moved into the country’s capital‚ Harare‚ to “target criminals” aligned to President Mugabe.
This follows Mugabe’s decision to fire his Vice-President‚ Emmerson Mnangagwa‚ last week.
Maimane said these actions are bringing to the surface the deep-seated factionalism within the ruling Zanu-PF.
"(We) call for fresh elections to be held in Zimbabwe as soon as practically possible‚ and for Robert Mugabe to immediately resign as President of Zimbabwe. . . True democracy is adhering to the will of the people‚ not the internal politics and arrangements of liberation movements.