VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga has reportedly endorsed
President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the Zanu PF presidential candidate for the 2023
polls.
Speaking at an inter-district meeting at Chinhoyi Training
Centre on Saturday Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Ziyambi Ziyambi
distanced his province from information circulating on social media that the
province endorsed VP Chiwenga as Zanu PF candidate insisting that they were the
works of “some rouge elements within the war veterans”.
Ziyambi said, instead, Chiwenga had endorsed Mnangagwa as
the Zanu PF 2023 presidential candidate.
“There are some rogue elements within the war veterans
peddling lies that the province has endorsed VP Chiwenga as the party’s 2023
presidential candidate; that is a lie … instead, VP Chiwenga is behind the
candidature of President Mnangagwa thereby endorsing it” Ziyambi said.
Social media was awash with rumours that there was bad
blood between the two veterans of the liberation struggle.
Speculation of another coup in the making were heightened
when Chiwenga returned home from China where he had been was receiving
treatment. He arrived aboard a Chinese plane and the Chinese deputy ambassador
to Zimbabwe, Zhao Baogang, led the welcoming party, who included Chiwenga’s
brother and son, minus top government officials who were Robert Gabriel Mugabe
International Airport.
Social and political commentator Rejoice Ngwenya said such
posturing shows that Mnangagwa was “insecure” and wants to curry favour from
his powerful Vice-President Chiwenga.
“The narrative within Zanu PF is that whenever there is a
problem in terms of legitimacy of a leader there are always these undercurrents
of endorsements; remember this happened during the last days of Mugabe (the
late former President Robert Mugabe). To me it’s a sign of insecurity on the
part of ED,” Ngwenya said. Newsday
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