The Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Dambudziko Mnangagwa who has been in the position since December 2014 was relieved of his position on Monday the 6th of November 2017.
The 75-year-old VP had been under recent fire from the first lady Grace Mugabe, who on Sunday called Mnangagwa a coup plotter and a coward. Both Grace and Mnangagwa were seen as a potential successor to the Presidency.
Regardless of the influence of Grace Mugabe in the removal of the Vice President, the current Chairman (Simon Khaya-Moyo) of the ZANU-PF labeled Mnangagwa to be a man who consistently and persistently exhibited traits of disloyalty, disrespect, deceitfulness and unreliability.
Before the appointment of Mnangagwa in 2014, a similar situation had occurred between the then Vice President Joice Mujuru and Mugabe. Joice was accused of plotting against Mugabe, the accusations were fuelled by Grace Mugabe and in no time Joice was kicked off her position and became an outcast within the ZANU-PF.
Grace further went on to disclose the fact that In 1980 Mnangagwa wanted to stage a coup. She said he wanted to wrestle power from the president conspiring with whites. In her own words she says; “That man is a ravisher”.
Mnangagwa Key Political Positions Over The Years:
- Minister of State Security (1980 – 1988)
- Minister of Justice (1988 – 2000)
- Speaker of Parliament (2000 – 2005)
- Minister of Rural Housing (2005 – 2009)
- Minister of Defence (2009 – 2013)
- Minister of Justice (2013 – 2017)
President Robert Mugabe
Regardless of the fact that the ZANU-PF are on a mission to choose a successor, Mugabe maintained that he still plans to contest the next election in 2018.
On Saturday Mugabe openly threatened to fire Mnangagwa, accusing him of putting together supporters in his favor ahead of the ruling ZANU-PF party’s special congress due in December, this statement was made after his wife was booed at a rally.
“We are denigrated and insulted in the name of Mnangagwa. Did I make a mistake in appointing him as my deputy?” the president asked the crowd following the incident.
So far, a replacement has not been named for Mnangagwa as the Vice President and there are fewer chances of this happening until the party congress next month. Phelekezela Mphoko continues to serve as second vice president.
