Emmerson Mnangagwa sworn in as Zimbabwe's president

President Mnangagwa takes over from Robert Mugabe who resigned on Tuesday after 37 years, with promises to work for the common good.

Emmerson Mnangagwa arrives for his inauguration as Zimbabwe's president after Robert Mugabe resigned following a military takeover. November 24, 2017.

In his inaugural address, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised on Friday that elections would be held next year as scheduled and outlined a broad vision for restoring economic and financial stability.

Mnangagwa, who took over from Robert Mugabe after a military intervention, also told a packed national stadium in Harare that Zimbabwe was ready to re-engage with the outside world but said its land reform process could not be reversed.

Taking his oath of office, the 75-year-old former security chief known as "The Crocodile" vowed to uphold the constitution of the former British colony and protect the rights of all Zimbabwe's 16 million citizens.

Will the past haunt Mnangagwa?

Even though most Zimbabweans celebrated the exit of 93-year-old Mugabe, who presided over the descent into poverty and despotism of one of Africa's brightest prospects, some are worried about the future under Mnangagwa.

In particular, they question his role in the so-called Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland in 1983, when an estimated 20,000 people were killed in a crackdown on Mugabe opponents by the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade.

Mnangagwa has denied any part in the atrocities and since his return to Zimbabwe after two weeks in hiding, has been preaching democracy, tolerance and respect for the rule of law.

"The people have spoken. The voice of the people is the voice of God," he told thousands of supporters on Wednesday at the headquarters of his ruling ZANU PF party.

However, the army's rough treatment of Mugabe loyalists – former finance minister Ignatius Chombo was hospitalised because of beatings sustained in military custody, his lawyer said – has not allayed concerns about Mnangagwa's real views on democracy.

"It was a very brutal and draconian way of dealing with opponents," Chombo's lawyer, Lovemore Madhuku, said.

Mugabe, the world's oldest serving head of state, resigned on Tuesday as parliament started to impeach him, a week to the day after the army seized power.

Mnangagwa assured Mugabe he and his family would be safe in Zimbabwe when the two men spoke for the first time since Mnangagwa returned home this week, local media reported on Friday.