Mnangagwa frank with me: President

By Farirai Machivenyika in GWERU

President Robert Mugabe yesterday said Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa does not hide anything from him as they have been together for a long time.

The President and VP Mnangagwa met in the early 60s, and have been working closely to this day. President Mugabe, who was addressing a crowd that gathered for the seventh leg of the Presidential Youth Interface rallies held at Mkoba Open space in Gweru yesterday, appraised the crowd of his close working relationship with the VP and took the opportunity to inform the nation of the malady that afflicted the VP at the immediate-past interface rally in Gwanda.

“Ehe wakanga wakuenda murume uyu kana iye anoti aah ndanga ndisingazive, taive tese ka hapana chaanondivanzira ini, ‘ndanga ndisazive, ndisazive’. “Ende ivo vanotiwo brain yake was getting affected but hanzi takangosimbirira chete kuti we must build up his body zvimwe zvese tozotarisa. Zvichinzi takakwanisa President, ndozvandoda kukuudzai kuti he is fit again now, he is back.

“Asi tichiri kuda kuziva kuongorora kuti zvakambouya sei hanzi tichaita mareasearch edu akakwana tinoramba tichiita zviitiko tichiona kuti hazvichadzokere futi pakare here but it is not food poisoning, no! Tombotarisa kwazvingadai zvakabva ndikati aah yes we need that badly. Saka akazobva achimhanya achiindakunokwira ndege asi tinoramba tichimuita review . . . anga ativhundutsa nesu tese,” President Mugabe said.

Earlier on, the President had slammed those going around accusing Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi and his Health and Child Care counterpart Dr David Parirenyatwa of having poisoned VP Mnangagwa.

“Mai vataura nenyaya yediscipline. Ehe kana tonzwa kuti kobuda shoko kuti aah kune varoyi, vamwe vakadya ice cream, ice cream dzedu dzinoisvonaka ndodzoiswa poison.

‘‘VaMnangagwa vozoti aiwa handina kumbodya ice cream. ‘Haa kune varoyi vanaSekeramayi nana Dr Parirenyatwa’. Madoctor ataive nawo kuhondo vachirapa masoja, vachirapa vanhu? Chifungai zvino kana toti vakadaro ndivo vakauraya kana vakapa mushonga wakuvadza mumwe wedu.

“Zvirikungotaurwa izvi nevanhu varikubvotomoka kana kuda kukwidza? But wadaro chiva neruzivo iiih kunanga munhu zvakadaro chivi kana mabhunu vakanga vasingazvide ndosaka vakaisa murawo wainzi Witchcraft (Suppression) Act wekunanga munhu. Uyu muroyi, uyu muroyi, hazviitwe, unoenda kujeri straight. Hazviitwe ko ava vauri kudaro vanofungawo sei nekuti pachokwadi pasina zvavakaita,” he added.

The President added that VP Mnangagwa decided to bring his personal doctor to him to clear the air on the nature of his illness.

“VaMnangagwa vakazoonawo kuti ini ndive neruzivo rwokuti vakatambura sei, vakazobatsirwa sei saka chiremba wavo akauya about three days ago, four days, akanditsanangurira zvakanakisisa. Takagara navo more than one hour kuState House nadoctor wavo achiti VaMnangagwa vaapatient wangu for 20 years,” he said.

He said the doctor ruled out food poisoning as the cause of his illness after carrying out extensive tests. “Hanzi takatora zvose hapana, tichitarisa muropa aiwa hapana food poisoning yakavapo. Asi chakatishamisa chete ndechekuti uyu umwe wedu uyu wakarwara diarrhoea, kuvhomita dakara asisagone kuvhomita, achifenda nekuzvimba, hanzi kuzvimba hanzi takangochichirira chete, ropa ranga risisakwane, akanga asisina zvino simba, nyama iyi yangova katanda kakabatana takarwira chete kuti timuponese nekubisa kuzvimba kwakanga kwavepo,” President Mugabe added.

It was normal, President Mugabe said, for people to fall sick adding even human organs can fail at any time.

“Saka ngatiregei zveuroyi hwedu vanhu vanorwara tinorwara tese moyo iyi inoneta dzimwe nguva, maorgans edu anoneta mukati umu dzimwe nguva mumwe mongonzwa kuti adonha zvinoitika. Hurwere humwe hunokwanisa kuuya hokubatawo nekuti muviri wako unenge usisina zvino simba saka hameno kuti akadya chii nekuti akarambidzwa kudya zvakati nezvakati nezvakati. Toti mudzimai achabata zvese izvi,” he said.

President Mugabe had the crowd in stitches when he said he could not stand the vegetable that had been recommended to the Vice President as part of his diet.

“Muriwo waakanzi uyu ndiwo unesimba aah ndomuriwo wandakati kuna Mai Mugabe handidi kuoona pandiro pangu ipapo… wakandiriga ndikati bodo handidyi.

“Ukandibikira sadza ne broccoli ndinoti aiwa aiwa ndaguta. Asi zviri kunzi ndomuriwo unosimbisa muiviri zvakakomba ndiwo wavanoda kuti iwoyo wopota muchiita soup soup yaanodya. Hameno zvako, nyama wakanzi rega kubata.

‘‘Ndikati ah kana wanga uine mbudzi chitondipa ndinodzitinha, nehwai. Yemombe rega kubata, yose nyama rega kubata hove rega kubata ah ah hameno zvako mudzimai wako ndiye achaona kuti izvi nezvizvi ndozvingaite. Ndati ndikuudzei chokwadi mumwe wedu wava mupenyu zvakakomba he is now strong,” President Mugabe said. The Herald