Staff ReporterZimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has become a homeowner in Equatorial Guinea, after that country’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo presented him with a villa. Mnangagwa is currently on a three-day state visit to Equatorial Guinea, his second visit in two months.
The fully furnished villa, located in Malabo, the capital city, comes complete with a gymnasium and full staff complement, and will be exclusively used by President Mnangagwa every time he visits Equatorial Guinea. The villa has been dubbed “Villa Zimbabwe” and is a testament to the strong relations between the two countries, according to Maxwell Ranga, Zimbabwe’s West African envoy.
President Mnangagwa was the only southern African leader present at President Nguema’s inauguration in December of last year, after the latter won a controversial election with a 99% majority. Nguema was last in Zimbabwe in 2018, a year after the coup that removed Robert Mugabe from power.
Since the thwarted coup attempt led by Simon Mann in 2004, Zimbabwe has been serving as a security advisor to Equatorial Guinea. Nguema has since pardoned 64 mercenaries recruited in South Africa and drawn from the apartheid-era special forces 32 Battalion.
During President Mnangagwa’s visit, which ends on Thursday, the two leaders signed eight agreements, some of which are related to cooperation in sectors such as tourism, mining, and agriculture. These agreements are expected to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries and promote economic growth.
In conclusion, the gift of the fully furnished villa in Equatorial Guinea to Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is a symbol of the strong ties between the two countries. The signed agreements are expected to result in further cooperation and growth in various sectors, promoting a brighter future for both nations.