ROBERT Mugabe has been granted immunity from prosecution in a deal he brokered which saw him resign as President of Zimbabwe.
The 93-year-old leader has also been assured that his safety will be protected in Zimbabwe, despite rumours that he and his wife Grace were planning to flee.
Sources close to the resignation negotiations claimed Mugabe wants to die in his home country and has no plans to go into exile.
One source told Reuters: "It was very emotional for him and he was forceful about it," said the source, who is not authorised to speak on the details of the negotiated settlement.
"For him it was very important that he be guaranteed security to stay in the country...although that will not stop him from travelling abroad when he wants to or has to.”
Mugabe will receive a retirement package that includes a pension, housing, holiday and transport allowance, health insurance, limited air travel and security in accordance with Zimbabwean law.
The events of the past few weeks have left the 93-year-old "rugged and drained", according to sources.
He is thought to be considering a trip to Singapore in the coming weeks for medical checks, after postponing a trip planned for mid-November after he was put under house arrest by the military.
The news is unlikely to be popular with many Zimbabweans following decades of Mugabe's brutal leadership, during which he has been accused of widespread corruption, racial discrimination, crimes against humanity, human rights abuses, suppression of political critics and economic mismanagement.
Forward Mazvitorera, 42, a Zanu (PF) official, said he blamed Mr Mugabe for his inability to find a job and a wife.
He told the Times: “He should be prosecuted and sent to jail for a long time.
“If I meet him one day I will give him a blow in the street. He squandered my livelihood.”
Mugabe resigned on Tuesday after ruling Zimbabwe for 37 tumultuous years and his former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is set to replace him on Friday.
The veteran leader led Zimbabwe from independence in 1980 but stepped down after a military intervention and his own Zanu-PF party turned on him.
Millions of people across the country have been celebrating the end of Mugabe's presidency, which has breathed new hope into a country that has spent years suffering under his long and brutal leadership.
His 37-year presidency was brought to an abrupt end by a battle to succeed him, which pitted vice president Mnangagwa against Mugabe's 52-year-old wife Grace.
Mnangagwa, popular with the military and nicknamed 'the Crocodile' as a result of his reputation for stealth and ruthlessness, was ousted by Mugabe last week in the clearest move yet that he was paving the way for his wife Grace to succeed him.
Grace Mugabe, nicknamed 'Gucci Grace' for her love of expensive fashion, was widely despised and many Zimbabweans feared she would have continued Mugabe's reign of terror.
Yesterday, Mnangagwa addressed crowds in the capital Harare and told them they were witnessing "unfolding full democracy".
In his first speech since being fired as vice president, Mnangagwa said: "Today we are witnessing the beginning of a new and unfolding full democracy in our country.
"We want to grow our economy, we want jobs... all patriotic Zimbabweans (should) come together, work together.”
Meanwhile Zimbabwe's main opposition said it wanted incoming president Mnangagwa to dismantle all pillars of repression that helped sustain Mugabe's 37 years in power.
In its first official comments since Mugabe resigned on Tuesday, the MDC said it was cautiously optimistic that a Mnangagwa presidency would not "mimic and replicate the evil, corrupt, decadent and incompetent Mugabe regime."