President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday failed to attend a
rally to thank his supporters following his controversial July 2018 election
win, raising fresh speculation about alleged fissures in the presidium.
Officially, Mnangagwa failed to travel to Mt Darwin because
he was briefing African leaders through the phone about the situation in
Zimbabwe following a deadly military clampdown on dissent.
However, the absence of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga
at the poorly attended rally addressed by his counterpart Kembo Mohadi was not
explained.
Mnangagwa was earlier in the week forced to deny reports
that he had fallen out with Chiwenga.
The president’s spokesperson George Charamba said the Zanu
PF leader had spent the day at his Munhumutapa offices talking to African
leaders and receiving special envoys he had sent out to the region.
A motorcade was seen arriving at Mnangagwa’s farm in Kwekwe
at 3pm, but it was not clear if it was carrying the president. The motorcade,
which had a police escort and ambulance, was not accompanied by soldiers.
Sources said the president was due to travel to Mvuma after
he lost an uncle during the week.
At the rally, Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri
also repeated the same claims at the rally in Mt Darwin.
“Our president is expecting some dignitaries from outside
the country…..you know what happened recently, he is to explain our position in
connection with that,” she said.
Mohadi said his boss had other pressing commitments in
Harare and could not make it to the rally.
“The president has other programmes this afternoon so he
failed to make it here…that is the reason we were late in coming here,” he
said.
Mohadi accused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of
working with Western countries to destabilise Zimbabwe.
“We have more than 35 000 NGOs that are more than the
number of our defence forces. They represent and work for countries that sponsor
them to destabilise our country,” he claimed.
Mohadi said Zanu PF was infiltrated by spies that were
feeding information to its enemies.
“The reports by Western media houses like BBC, CNN and some
private-owned media houses are not balanced; they are busy reporting about the
arrests of hooligans without focusing on the trail of destruction by these
hooligans,” he said.
“We can forgive, but surely we cannot forget, the full
wrath of the law will descend on them.”
The VP said increases in prices of basic commodities were
meant to incite people to turn against the government. By the time he finished
his one hour-long speech, most people had left the venue.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF Mashonaland Central chairperson Kazembe
Kazembe blamed the poor attendance at the rally on poor logistics, saying they
only received fuel coupons of Friday night.
“We would like to thank you for coming here despite having
fuel challenges,” he told the crowd.
“We received our fuel very late yesterday [Friday], but all
the same as party-loving people we have managed to come.”
The rally, which was scheduled to start at 10am and end at
1pm, only got underway at 2pm and most people started walking out of the venue
after word began filtering in that Mnangagwa was not comiing.
“We know they are some bad elements among us. These people
are spying to our enemies for money. Let me assure you these people will not be
tolerated in the new dispensation.”
Mohadi castigated Western and privateowned media houses for
publishing the just-ended violent protests without revealing the trail of
destruction. Standard
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