Zimbabwe marks Independence Day — from Mugabe, too

Supporters of Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa sing and dance upon his arrival for the country’s 38th anniversary of Independence at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, Wednesday, April, 18, 2018. (AP/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

HARARE, Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe is celebrating Independence Day for the first time without Robert Mugabe as leader since 1980 and some say it feels like a second emancipation.
For others, not quite.
The southern African nation still faces persistent economic problems including cash shortages and high unemployment. Major public hospitals have been shut down after the government fired more than 16,000 nurses for striking against low salaries and poor working conditions.
As the first post-Mugabe elections approach, some are finding hope. Others express relief that for the first time since the end of white minority rule in 1980, Independence Day was free from Mugabe’s often vitriolic speech against Western rivals and local opposition.
Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe ally, has promised reforms and taken steps to re-engage the opposition and the West.