Zimbabwe's incoming leader Emmerson Mnangagwa says he was in constant contact with military leaders during the tumultuous two weeks between his sacking by Robert Mugabe and his return to the country to replace him.
Hours after his return Mnangagwa addressed a jubilant crowd outside ruling ZANU-PF party headquarters in Harare on Wednesday, pledging "jobs, jobs" for Zimbabweans and calling on fellow African nations to help rebuild the shattered economy.
The 75-year-old fled to South Africa earlier this month, citing safety concerns, after Mugabe sacked him as his deputy with the former president's wife Grace Mugabe positioning herself to take the presidency.
Car horns and celebrations were heard as a motorcade believed to be carrying Mnangagwa passed through the capital ahead of the speech.
Mnangagwa stayed in hiding as the political drama unfolded that led to Mugabe resigning on Tuesday after 37-years as president amid impeachment proceedings, a military takeover and public unrest.
Mnangagwa was introduced to the crowd as a "president-in-waiting". He will be officially sworn in on Friday.
"Today we are witnessing the beginning of a new, unfolding democracy," he said, while also detailing the attempts that had been made on his life, including a poisoning in August.
"We need the cooperation of the continent of Africa.
"We need the cooperation of our friends outside the continent."
Mnangagwa served for decades as Mugabe's enforcer, a role that earned him the nickmane "Crocodile". Many opposition supporters believe he was instrumental in the army killings of thousands of people when Mugabe moved against a political rival in the 1980s.
Human rights activists say it will take more than replacing Mugabe to change Zimbabwe's fortunes.
"Mugabe the infrastructure, Mugabe the culture, Mugabe the ideology, Mugabe the system - what I prefer to call Mugabism - is still there. And we need to continue fighting," activist Maureen Kademauga told reporters in Johannesburg.
Mnangagwa will serve Mugabe's remaining term until elections next year. Opposition lawmakers who have alleged vote-rigging in the past say that balloting must be free and fair.
Zimbabwe was once one of Africa's most promising economies but suffered decades of decline as Mugabe pursued policies that included the violent seizure of white-owned commercial farms and money-printing that led to hyperinflation.
Most of its 16 million people remain poor and face currency shortages and sky-high unemployment, something Mnangagwa promised to address.
"We want to grow our economy, we want peace in our country, we want jobs, jobs, jobs," Mnangagwa told the crowd, adding: "The will of the people will always, always succeed."
