Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will get a handsome post-resignation payout, according to local media.
He'll reportedly get $5 million up front. He and his wife will get an additional $5 million doled out in installments and keep Mugabe's full salary — half of which will still be paid to the former first lady after her husband dies. The couple will also enjoy full health coverage, security and protection of the Mugabes' sprawling business interests.
That may seem generous, considering Mugabe's nearly four-decade rule has left Zimbabwe's economy in tatters: The country's currency is essentially worthless, and unemployment is over 80 percent.
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But when Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in on Friday as Zimbabwe's interim president, he denounced any form of "vengeful retribution." He gave praise to Mugabe, who is still revered for his role in the Rhodesian Bush War that led to ZImbabwe's independence from colonial, white-minority rule.
The Zimbabwe Independent also reported that Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution as part of the negotiations for his resignation. Opposition leaders pushed back against that idea, saying a deal of the sort would be unconstitutional.
It will be interesting to see where Mnangagwa takes Zimbabwe from here. He's promised to usher in a new era for the impoverished country, and that free and fair elections would be held in August. Mnangagwa's cabinet picks will likely be a bellwether as to how his time in office will go.
