ED was poisoned, Mugabe confirms

By Jeffery Muvundisi 

GWERU – A medical doctor who attended to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in South Africa about three weeks ago revealed to President Robert Mugabe recently that the 74-year-old politician was poisoned, stoking further suspicions in the deeply-divided Zanu PF party.

Mnangagwa had to be airlifted to South Africa for emergency treatment after suddenly falling ill while attending a Zanu PF youth interface rally in Gwanda about three weeks ago.

He had been part of an entourage of senior Zanu PF and government officials who attended the Zanu PF youth interface meeting held at Pelandaba Stadium in Matabeleland South.

Ending weeks of speculation over what could have happened to his deputy on the fateful day, Mugabe revealed to his audience yesterday that Mnangagwa’s doctors had briefed him about three days ago that he did not suffer from food poisoning as had been claimed earlier.

He also exonerated Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa and Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi from any alleged wrongdoing, saying their hands were clean.

Zanu PF activist and a loyalist of Mnangagwa, Energy Mutodi, had made sensational claims a few days ago that the two Cabinet ministers had a lot of questions to answer over what had happened in Gwanda.

There were also some in Zanu PF who were claiming that Mnangagwa fell ill after eating ice cream from Gushungo Dairy, owned by the First Family.

“Some were saying he ate our ice cream, which is very tasty and that we laced it with poison and Mnangagwa said he did not eat any ice cream,” Mugabe told party supporters at a youth interface rally in Gweru yesterday.

“Sekeramayi and Parirenyatwa were accused of being witches, but we had them during the war and they have been taking care of our soldiers and, imagine, some are saying they are the people who poisoned our colleagues. But this is coming from people who are waffling,” he added.

Mugabe said people should not make serious allegations without any shred of evidence as it was even outlawed during white minority rule, under the Witchcraft Suppression Act.

Widely regarded as Mugabe’s heir-apparent, Mnangagwa broke his silence on Thursday by revealing that he did not partake of any ice cream while in Gwanda.

He, however, kept the nation guessing as to what really happened to him by not revealing the source of his sudden illness, which was characterised by vomiting and a running stomach.

Mnangagwa only resumed his official government duties on Tuesday after a three-week absence.

On Thursday, Mnangagwa issued a tease press statement, denying that he ever ate ice cream from Gushungo Dairy.

“The insinuation that I partook of ice-cream from the said dairy is false and mischievous, and being peddled by unscrupulous elements with the sinister agenda of creating a rift between me and the First Family, lower market confidence in products from the dairy and cause unnecessary alarm and despondency among peace-loving Zimbabweans,” said Mnangagwa.

But according to Mugabe, his deputy went through a painful treatment process while in South Africa and escaped death by a whisker.

“Mnangagwa wanted me to know what had happened to him and how he suffered and his doctor came and explained to me about three days ago — and explained in great detail what happened. We were at the State House with the doctor for more than an hour and he explained what had happened.

“He said Mnangagwa has been his patient for more than 20 years and he said that it was not food poisoning. He said when they screened his blood there was no food poisoning,” he told his audience in Gweru yesterday.

“But what amazed us was how Mnangagwa vomited and had diarrhoea and there was swelling and they fought a battle to save him. They gave him about four drips in succession . . . they said he had lost blood and they fought a battle to save his life. He was put on continuous drips, he had lost blood. Anga akuenda murume uyu (He almost died). He told me that he had lost track of what was happening, he does not hide anything from me, his brain was being affected,” said Mugabe.

“He is now fit again, asimba (he is fit), he is back. The doctor said we will keep investigating to find out what may have caused the sickness, but it’s not food poisoning, they said they will continue monitoring him to ensure that we find what caused that and indeed we want to know the answers,” said Mugabe.

So serious was the poisoning that Mnangagwa, who has visibly lost weight, is no longer eating meat, Mugabe revealed yesterday.

“I wanted to tell you what really happened to your comrade. (He) is now fit again and he is now strong,” said Mugabe, as he asked Mnangagwa the name of the South African doctor who had attended to him.

It is still not clear if Mnangagwa will file a police report to pave way for investigations. Last week, the Zimbabwe Republic Police told the Daily News that no such report had been filed thus far. Daily News