Crocodile Tears: Mnangagwa disowns rebellious war veterans

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa arranged an interview with State media on Saturday and distanced himself from veterans of liberation struggle who trashed President Robert Mugabe as a dictator and announced they would no longer support him.

The ex-combatants who met in Harare on Thursday reiterated their support for Mnangagwa who they want to replace Mugabe who they described as too old.

With security agencies reportedly carried out a high level probe into a communique in which the war vets vowed they were disengaging the 92 year old ruler after decades of loyal support, Mnangagwa described their utterances as “nonsensical”.

“I watched ZBCtv (on Friday and learnt) that they made a statement, but I haven’t read it. If they said the president must resign, then that is nonsensical. If they are true war veterans, the president is their commander-in-chief and they must be loyal and committed.

“I don’t think those who say such things are loyal or genuine war veterans. They must be loyal,” the VP said in an interview with the government-controlled Sunday Mail.

He dismissed reports that he is linked to the war veterans who have, however, repeatedly declared their support for him as the next president.

It, however, remains to be seen if Mnangagwa is genuinely not linked to the war veterans or was just diffusing mounting pressure for him to pronounce his position as the succession dog fight intensifies.

Mnangagwa leads a Zanu PF faction that has for a long time tussled to take over from Mugabe.

After succeeding in ejecting a long time rival, Joice Mujuru who has now formed an opposition political party, Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF), Mnangagwa’s faction is now locked in a bitter turf war with Generation 40 (G40), a camp led by young turks.

On Thursday, provincial representatives of the war vets association met and resolved that Mugabe must resign immediately, noting that he was too old to attract much needed international financial assistance.

The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA)  information secretary, Douglas Mahiya, said: “Who will lend money to a 92 year-old?”, and insisted that his movement would push the succession debate in Zanu PF.

However, State media at the weekend reported him saying his association was probing who issued the communique that announced the break from Mugabe.

“As war veterans, we are also trying to find out the origins of that document. But (secretary-general) Victor Matemadanda will be in a better position to give you more information about that,” he said.

Matemadanda switched off his phone when official media reporters tried to talk to him.

In 2004, Mnangagwa ditched, at the last minute, colleagues with who he was reportedly plotting a takeover from Mugabe.

His alleged co-plotters who were said to be gunning for him to replace Mugabe ahead of that year’s congress included Jonathan Moyo, who has allegedly remained bitter that Mnangagwa betrayed them.

Moyo was in January 2005 fired from government where he was information minister through a faxed letter and faced the humiliation of having his aides and vehicle withdrawn at a Bulawayo hotel where he was staying during the time.

He now belongs to the G40 camp, together with Zanu PF political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere, and Mugabe’s wife, Grace. Nehanda Radio