The
assassination plot allegations were revealed in a classified document marked
Top Secret, which is believed to have originated from the United States
government.
It claims that
a Belarusian-linked “contract asset codenamed BEDROCK” was hired to assassinate
Chiwenga, who was referred to in the document by his liberation-war name
Dominic Chinenge.
Stamped
“URGENT” and bearing a consular receipt mark, the report describes Chinenge as
“an astute Zimbabwean national and general . . . shadow head of the military
and designated with Tier 5 credentials within the presidency”.
It says his
position and growing influence had “placed him in the centre of an aggressive
ploy to assassinate him”.
“BEDROCK, in
the past three months, has been tasked with surveillance of active locality,
surfing of the UAE [United Arab Emirates] and China platforms, communications
and currently stands for command to activate active measures within plausible
proximity,” the intelligence brief stated.
Chiwenga, a key
figure in the November 2017 military-assisted transition that ousted long-time
ruler Robert Mugabe, recently found himself at odds with Mnangagwa’s inner
circle.
On September
17, the VP presented a dossier to the President, where he demanded the arrest
of the latter’s allies Kadukwashe Tagwirei, Pedzai “Scott” Sakupwanya, Dilesh
Nguwaya and Wicknell Chivayo for allegedly siphoning billions of dollars from
the State.
But this week,
Mnangagwa responded to the dossier through Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi,
who is also Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs, who accused Chiwenga of
treason.
According to
the leaked intelligence report, a payment of US$100 000 was wired to a Jersey
NatWest account through an offshore trust instrument facilitated via AFTRADE
DMCC Offshore Trust, a company linked to Belarus.
The money,
analysts in the document note, was intended to finance the operational phase of
the assassination plot.
The report
asserted that “DNA and urine samples of ‘Chinenge’ have been collected and
analysed to dilute possible counter-measures by Chinenge”.
In its final
section, the file records that “the FVEY and Washington are fully aware of
‘BEDROCK’, whose credentials are linked to the Belarusian unit with previous
deployments in Iraq and Equatorial Guinea”.
“FVEY” refers
to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance of the United States (US), United
Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A closing line
indicates that “call-off coding on ‘BEDROCK’ are aligned to file
ZANUPF372921/08224CGNC”.
Neither the US
government, Zimbabwean nor Belarusian officials have publicly commented on the
contents of the leaked report, which remains classified under the US National
Security Act of 2021. Newsday
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