Senior ZANU PF member and war veteran Blessed Runesu Geza declared President Emmerson Mnangagwa “unfit to rule” and demanded his immediate resignation during a dramatic press conference in Harare on Wednesday, suggesting possible military intervention if he refuses to step down.
Geza, flanked by five commanders from the ZPRA and ZANLA liberation forces, delivered a scathing critique of Mnangagwa’s leadership. He specifically condemned the president’s alleged nepotism and economic mismanagement.
“We ask him to go peacefully,” Geza said. “If he refuses to take heed of this advice, we have no option but to ask the people of Zimbabwe to deal with a rogue president in line with the constitution.”
Fellow war veteran Knox Chivero escalated the rhetoric, stating that Mnangagwa must leave office “peacefully or otherwise.”
The timing of the declaration carries particular significance, coming during Mnangagwa’s annual leave while Vice President Constantino Chiwenga serves as acting president.
The war veterans strongly opposed recent efforts by Mnangagwa’s supporters to remove constitutional term limits. Geza warned such moves would “throw the country into disquiet.”
Drawing parallels to Zimbabwe’s 2017 military intervention, the veterans accused Mnangagwa of surrounding himself with “thieves, conmen and heartless killers.” The language closely echoed statements made by then-military commander Chiwenga before Robert Mugabe’s removal.
Geza raised additional concerns about the suspicious deaths of former generals, suggesting possible links to Owen Mudha Ncube, the former state security minister described as Mnangagwa’s “blue-eyed boy.”
Former ZANU PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, now in exile, characterized the event as “Mgagao Declaration 3” on social media, referencing historical party leadership changes.
Political analysts suggest the war veterans’ group likely has powerful backing within ZANU PF, though the full implications of their challenge to Mnangagwa’s leadership remain unclear.