Emmerson Mnangagwa has today taken oath as president of Zimbabwe, becoming the country’s second leader since independence from white minority rule in 1980.
He was sacked as vice-president two weeks ago, triggering a political crisis that culminated in Mugabe’s resignation on Tuesday.
Mnangagwa is taking over a tattered economy and a record of human rights abuses albeit with promises of a renaissance in key governance areas.
Many say he was the country’s spymaster during the 1980s civil conflict, in which thousands of civilians were killed.
He is widely known as “the Crocodile” – a liberation war nickname that may have stuck because it suited his reputation for ruthless cunning.