Former Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) director-general Fulton Mangwanya was questioned by police in Harare on Wednesday over allegations that he threatened to kill a businessman and his family while serving as Zimbabwe’s top intelligence official.
According to reports, Mangwanya presented himself at Harare Central Police Station accompanied by his lawyer, Musindo Hungwe, after police allegedly attempted to arrest him on Tuesday night.
Hungwe declined to discuss the matter.
“I’m not at liberty to answer any question in relation to your enquiry,” he said.
Sources cited by ZimLive said police recorded a warned and cautioned statement from the former spy chief in connection with a complaint lodged in June 2025.
A law enforcement source quoted by the publication alleged the case relates to claims that Mangwanya threatened to kill a businessman and his family during a dispute while he was still serving as CIO director-general.
It was not immediately clear why police were only acting on the complaint more than a year later.
Mangwanya was dismissed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in April 2026 after serving just over a year as head of the CIO. No official reason was given for his removal.
However, multiple media reports have since linked his dismissal to internal political tensions within the ruling Zanu PF party, although those claims have not been officially confirmed.
According to ZimLive, sources alleged Mangwanya had previously advised Mnangagwa to halt efforts by some ruling party figures to extend the President’s tenure beyond 2028, warning that the campaign posed a national security risk and had deepened divisions within government.
The report claimed Mnangagwa interpreted the intervention as evidence that Mangwanya was aligned with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, an allegation that has not been substantiated publicly.
Separately, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono alleged that Mangwanya’s dismissal followed growing factional battles within the presidency and cited claims of nepotism and abuse of office during his tenure.
Chin’ono reported allegations that Mangwanya appointed relatives to influential positions within the CIO and took a woman alleged to be his romantic partner on official overseas trips alongside the President. Mangwanya has not publicly responded to those allegations.
Meanwhile, The Zimbabwe Standard, citing unnamed sources, reported in April that Mangwanya had come under pressure over the CIO’s alleged failure to contain opposition to proposed constitutional amendments linked to extending Mnangagwa’s presidency.
The newspaper claimed intelligence officials had failed to track anti-term extension activist Knox Chivero, whose re-emergence after the death of former Zanu PF central committee member Blessing Geza reportedly angered senior figures within the ruling party.
The report further alleged that Mnangagwa had sought intelligence on retired military officers opposed to the proposed constitutional changes but was dissatisfied with the information provided by the CIO.
The Zimbabwe Standard also suggested Mangwanya’s insistence on maintaining professional intelligence standards may have strained relations with influential figures within government. Those claims have not been independently verified.
Neither the Zimbabwe Republic Police nor the Office of the President and Cabinet had issued an official statement on Wednesday regarding Mangwanya’s questioning.
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