Regional African body says ready to work closely with Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe's former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is due to be sworn in to replace Robert Mugabe as President, addresses supporters in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 22, 2017. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The Southern African Development Community (SADC), an intergovernmental organisation, said on Friday that it was ready to work closely with Zimbabwe's incoming leader Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government.

Mnangagwa is due to be sworn in as Zimbabwean president on Friday following the resignation of Robert Mugabe, who had ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

SADC is a 16-country intergovernmental organisation which is currently chaired by South Africa.

(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Richard Borsuk)