Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa touched a raw nerve when
he chose to use the late Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Shuvai Mahofa’s
memorial service to reveal, for the first time, that he was poisoned.
Last Wednesday, a livid President Robert Mugabe confronted
Mnangagwa on his return from a two-day trip to South Africa, over the
revelations he made in Gutu.
The VP told his audience in Gutu that what happened to
Mahofa at the Zanu PF conference in 2015 where she was allegedly poisoned had
also happened to him at a rally addressed by Mugabe in Gwanda.
Details are beginning to emerge on why Mnangagwa chose to say
what he said that day.
A Zanu PF politician in Mnangagwa’s circle said the VP,
tired of being insulted by his foes while he tried to resolve issues in private
with Mugabe, made a decision to take the war to those who were fighting him.
“We have come to a point where we advised him that
resolving matters in private with President Mugabe, while he was being attacked
in public was not in his best interest and he should also fight fire with
fire,” said a very close aide.
The fight-back plan was to happen in three phases: the
court challenge, which saw Mnangagwa file a $3 million lawsuit against Higher
and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo, public pronouncements distancing
himself from various allegations against him and a detailed response in the politburo.
A family member said Mnangagwa preferred to deal with the
burning matters behind closed doors, seeking to clarify issues with his boss
instead of going public.
The family member said he also wanted to concentrate his
efforts more on reviving the economy by delivering on government duties instead
of fighting G40 in public.
“We have argued with the VP on why he always tries to fix
things behind closed doors with the president when others take matters into the
public and twist and manipulate those issues to their advantage.
“He is once again seeking to clarify issues in private,”
said a family member.
He said they were now ready to respond word for word to any
attacks directed at Mnangagwa by his foes.
The family is pressuring Mnangagwa to allow his doctors to
fly in from South Africa and hold a joint press conference with his family
where the toxicology report will be released.
“The medical report is clear that he was poisoned. The
doctors made that finding and we wonder why the victim is not being protected,”
said a family member.
After public attacks by his critics, Mnangagwa convened a
press conference for state media and for the first time, hit hard on his
rivals, especially Vice-President Phekezela Mphoko.
Mnangagwa insisted that he was poisoned but stayed clear
from the ice-cream narrative, which has seen him being blacklisted by Mugabe.
The VP’s allies want him to press on and respond to his
critics because silence will not save him.
“He has to go all out because what Mugabe says in private
and how he acts in public are totally different; he tells us not to worry and
then when he gets to a rally he attacks the VP,” said a source.
“In Bindura, he discussed politburo matters at a rally,
made public allegations against Mnangagwa before giving his deputy a chance to
respond. Was it not sensible for him to wait for the response?
“Will Mugabe give the response the same publicity he gave
the allegations? Can he guarantee that? I am sure he can’t and it’s only ED who
can respond effectively in public.”
Mnangagwa’s response strategy could have changed by now
following the fast-paced political events in the past week, but those in his
political circles said they don’t want their boss to give in.
“This is the final breath, if we lose, we lose. We are not
going to keep quiet, silence has not helped us. In silence he is attacked and
if he speaks he is attacked, the difference is the same,” added the source.
Mnangagwa last week said although his doctors had ruled out
food poisoning, they had not said he was not poisoned. standard
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