The South Belfast Councillor, who spent the first 13 years of her life in the African country, said she was delighted to see the resignation of Mr Mugabe.
“Under Robert Mugabe’s 37-year presidency, he went from respected freedom fighter to brutal dictator where Zimbabwe saw corruption, economic failure, abuse of power and violence,” she said.
“The future holds many problems – you cannot fix an economy overnight and the man expected to replace Mugabe, former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, lacks democratic credentials.
“The questions about what happens next rightly need to be asked, but that’s for tomorrow. Today is the first day of the future of Zimbabwe and is all about celebrating the hope of a new and peaceful country.”