Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who serves as the third and c urrent President of the Republic of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017.
A member of ZANU PF and a long-time ally of former and long term serving President Robert G Mugabe , he held a series of Cabinet portfolios and was vice president of the nation under Mugabe until November 2017, when he was dismissed before coming to power in a coup.
He was officially inaugurated as the third President of the republic of Zimbabwe on 26 August 2018 after narrowly winning the2018 disputed election.
Personal details and family
E D Mnangagwa was born on 15 September 1942 in Zvishavane, he has 9 children and is married to Auxillia Mnangagwa.He was formerly married to Jayne Matarise with whom they divorced in 2002. Mnangagwa has been married three times.
His first wife was the sister of Josiah Tongogara, a fellow ZANLA commander, and died from cancer in 2000.Auxillia Mnangagwa is his third wife and was born in rural Zimbabwe, and has been involved in ZANU-PF politics since 1982 However, she only became a public figure in 2014 after she was elected in the constituency seat that her husband vacated to become Vice President that year.
His eldest child, Farai Mlotshwa, is a property developer and is married to the lawyer of Mnangagwa’s political rival Phelekezela Mphoko, a backer of the pro-Grace Mugabe Generation 40 faction.His youngest son is a DJ in Harare known as St Emmo.
His youngest daughter Tariro volunteered to join a group of young female rangers dedicated to fighting poaching in the Zambezi valley and she is also acting in an anti-poaching awareness film titled Gonarezhou: The Movie set to be in cinemasthis year. One of his twin sons serves in the presidential guard Mnangagwa is considered to be one of the richest men in Zimbabwe.
He is a supporter of Chelsea F.C., because Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba played there. He is a member of the Methodist church
He is a professional lawyer and politician nicknamed The Crocodile by the masses.
His parents were farmers, and in the 1950s he had to move with his family to Northern Rhodesia because of his father’s political activism.
There, he became active in anti-colonial politics, and in 1963, he joined the newly-formed Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, the militant wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), and returned to Rhodesia in 1964. Leading a group called the “Crocodile Gang”, he attacked white-owned farms in the Eastern Highlands and that became the beginning of his long lasting legacy and influence in Zimbabwean politics.
Mnangagwa’s ascendancy was opposed by the President’s wife, Grace Mugabe, and her Generation 40 faction. He was dismissed from his positions by Mugabe in November 2017, and fled to South Africa. Soon after, General Constantino Chiwenga, backed by elements of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and members of Mnangagwa’s Lacoste political faction, launched a coup and restored him in power.
Life as a guerrilla
Imprisonment: 1965–1975
In late 1964, Mnangagwa blew up a train near Fort Victoria (now Masvingo), and was arrested by police inspectors in January 1965 at Michael Mawema’s house in Highfield. He was given over to the Rhodesia Special Branch, who tortured him by hanging him upside down and beating him, an ordeal that allegedly caused him to lose hearing in his left ear and he was sentenced to ten years in prison which he served.
Legal studies and ZANU leadership: 1975–1980
After having served his term, Mnangagwa went back to Zambia where he spent a later part of his upbringing and continued his education at the University of Zambia, where he was active in the student board for politics, graduating with a postgraduate law degree
Meeting Mugabe
After a couple years working for a private law firm, he left legal practice and went to Mozambique where the Mozambican War of Independence against Portuguese colonial rule was ongoing. He visited Maputo at the request of Josiah Tongogara, and on the basis of the friendship that he had developed with Mugabe while in prison, he became a security chief for ZANU.]While there, he met Robert Mugabe, and became his assistant and bodyguard and was later elected to be the special assistant to the president ,he even accompanied
Mugabe to the Lancaster negotiations to what became the road to independence. This clearly shows that Mnangagwa has been Mugabe’s long term ally and Mugabe still feels betrayed unto this very day by the coup.
Controversies
Gukurahundi
After independence, Mnangagwa held a series of senior Cabinet positions under Mugabe. From 1980 to 1988, he was the country’s first Minister of State Security, and oversaw the Central Intelligence Organisation. He is said to have played a very big role in the Gukurahundi massacres, in which thousands of Ndebele civilians were killed and which occurred during his tenure. The report on the enquiry of this Gukurahundi has not been found up to this very day and there has not been enough evidence to directly incriminate him.
Despite his denial, Mnangagwa is accused by many, including foreign governments, opposition politicians, and human rights groups, of playing a significant role in, if not orchestrating, the Gukurahundi. As Minister of State Security, his CIO worked with the army to suppress ZAPU, a rival political party that drew its support from Ndebele people
Leading the 2008 violence
Mnangagwa was Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs from 1989 to 2000 and then served as Speaker of the Parliament from 2000 to 2005, when he was demoted to Minister of Rural Housing for openly jockeying to succeed the aging Mugabe. He returned to favour during the 2008 general election, in which he ran Mugabe’s campaign, orchestrating political violence against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai. Mnangagwa served as Minister of Defence from 2009 until 2013, when he became Minister of Justice again. He was also appointed First Vice-President in 2014 and was widely considered to be a leading candidate to succeed Mugabe.
White city bombing
In 2018 ,Mnangagwa escaped a bomb attack in Bulawayo at a party rally in the White city stadium which harmed several people including his Vice Kembo Mohadi and minister Opah Muchinguri .Many have pointed out that the incident was stage managed and it was a factional war.
1 August shootings
On 1 August 2018 as the nation of Zimbabwe awaited its election results in the post Mugabe era ,an unfortunate event happened as the citizens were showing their grievances towards how the election processes were being held. There was a directive from the President office to deploy soldiers into the streets resulting in the deaths of 6 innocent citizens and a hundred other injured.Mnangagwa went on to set a commission of enquiry into these investigations and he long denied responsibility through his generals to which many felt was pure betrayal of human rights.
Foreign relations
Mnangagwa has for long preached that he is different from Mugabe but under his rule there has been a lot of deaths and brutality caused by the security forces however On 18 January 2018, Mnangagwa signalled his desire to re-engage with the West by inviting the United Nations, European Union and the Commonwealth to monitor elections in Zimbabwe in 2018. Additionally, Mnangagwa has signalled his wish to re-establish good relations with the United Kingdom and additionally re-join the Commonwealth, a prospect which he said was improved by the British exit from the European Union ,this are only few pointers to showing that he is truly a changed man.The Truth about ED
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who serves as the third and c urrent President of the Republic of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU PF and a long-time ally of former and long term serving President Robert G Mugabe , he held a series of Cabinet portfolios and was vice president of the nation under Mugabe until November 2017, when he was dismissed before coming to power in a coup. He was officially inaugurated as the third President of the republic of Zimbabwe on 26 August 2018 after narrowly winning the2018 disputed election.
Personal details and family
E D Mnangagwa was born on 15 September 1942 in Zvishavane, he has 9 children and is married to Auxillia Mnangagwa.He was formerly married to Jayne Matarise with whom they divorced in 2002. Mnangagwa has been married three times. His first wife was the sister of Josiah Tongogara, a fellow ZANLA commander, and died from cancer in 2000.Auxillia Mnangagwa is his third wife and was born in rural Zimbabwe, and has been involved in ZANU-PF politics since 1982 However, she only became a public figure in 2014 after she was elected in the constituency seat that her husband vacated to become Vice President that year.
His eldest child, Farai Mlotshwa, is a property developer and is married to the lawyer of Mnangagwa’s political rival Phelekezela Mphoko, a backer of the pro-Grace Mugabe Generation 40 faction.His youngest son is a DJ in Harare known as St Emmo. His youngest daughter Tariro volunteered to join a group of young female rangers dedicated to fighting poaching in the Zambezi valley and she is also acting in an anti-poaching awareness film titled Gonarezhou: The Movie set to be in cinemasthis year. One of his twin sons serves in the presidential guard Mnangagwa is considered to be one of the richest men in Zimbabwe. He is a supporter of Chelsea F.C., because Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba played there. He is a member of the Methodist church
He is a professional lawyer and politician nicknamed The Crocodile by the masses.
His parents were farmers, and in the 1950s he had to move with his family to Northern Rhodesia because of his father’s political activism. There, he became active in anti-colonial politics, and in 1963, he joined the newly-formed Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, the militant wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), and returned to Rhodesia in 1964. Leading a group called the “Crocodile Gang”, he attacked white-owned farms in the Eastern Highlands and that became the beginning of his long lasting legacy and influence in Zimbabwean politics.
Mnangagwa’s ascendancy was opposed by the President’s wife, Grace Mugabe, and her Generation 40 faction. He was dismissed from his positions by Mugabe in November 2017, and fled to South Africa. Soon after, General Constantino Chiwenga, backed by elements of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and members of Mnangagwa’s Lacoste political faction, launched a coup and restored him in power.
Life as a guerrilla
Imprisonment: 1965–1975
In late 1964, Mnangagwa blew up a train near Fort Victoria (now Masvingo), and was arrested by police inspectors in January 1965 at Michael Mawema’s house in Highfield. He was given over to the Rhodesia Special Branch, who tortured him by hanging him upside down and beating him, an ordeal that allegedly caused him to lose hearing in his left ear and he was sentenced to ten years in prison which he served.
Legal studies and ZANU leadership: 1975–1980
After having served his term, Mnangagwa went back to Zambia where he spent a later part of his upbringing and continued his education at the University of Zambia, where he was active in the student board for politics, graduating with a postgraduate law degree
Meeting Mugabe
After a couple years working for a private law firm, he left legal practice and went to Mozambique where the Mozambican War of Independence against Portuguese colonial rule was ongoing. He visited Maputo at the request of Josiah Tongogara, and on the basis of the friendship that he had developed with Mugabe while in prison, he became a security chief for ZANU.]While there, he met Robert Mugabe, and became his assistant and bodyguard and was later elected to be the special assistant to the president ,he even accompanied Mugabe to the Lancaster negotiations to what became the road to independence. This clearly shows that Mnangagwa has been Mugabe’s long term ally and Mugabe still feels betrayed unto this very day by the coup.
Controversies
Gukurahundi
After independence, Mnangagwa held a series of senior Cabinet positions under Mugabe. From 1980 to 1988, he was the country’s first Minister of State Security, and oversaw the Central Intelligence Organisation. He is said to have played a very big role in the Gukurahundi massacres, in which thousands of Ndebele civilians were killed and which occurred during his tenure. The report on the enquiry of this Gukurahundi has not been found up to this very day and there has not been enough evidence to directly incriminate him.
Despite his denial, Mnangagwa is accused by many, including foreign governments, opposition politicians, and human rights groups, of playing a significant role in, if not orchestrating, the Gukurahundi. As Minister of State Security, his CIO worked with the army to suppress ZAPU, a rival political party that drew its support from Ndebele people
Leading the 2008 violence
Mnangagwa was Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs from 1989 to 2000 and then served as Speaker of the Parliament from 2000 to 2005, when he was demoted to Minister of Rural Housing for openly jockeying to succeed the aging Mugabe. He returned to favour during the 2008 general election, in which he ran Mugabe’s campaign, orchestrating political violence against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai. Mnangagwa served as Minister of Defence from 2009 until 2013, when he became Minister of Justice again. He was also appointed First Vice-President in 2014 and was widely considered to be a leading candidate to succeed Mugabe.
White city bombing
In 2018 ,Mnangagwa escaped a bomb attack in Bulawayo at a party rally in the White city stadium which harmed several people including his Vice Kembo Mohadi and minister Opah Muchinguri .Many have pointed out that the incident was stage managed and it was a factional war.
1 August shootings
On 1 August 2018 as the nation of Zimbabwe awaited its election results in the post Mugabe era ,an unfortunate event happened as the citizens were showing their grievances towards how the election processes were being held. There was a directive from the President office to deploy soldiers into the streets resulting in the deaths of 6 innocent citizens and a hundred other injured.Mnangagwa went on to set a commission of enquiry into these investigations and he long denied responsibility through his generals to which many felt was pure betrayal of human rights.
Foreign relations
Mnangagwa has for long preached that he is different from Mugabe but under his rule there has been a lot of deaths and brutality caused by the security forces however On 18 January 2018, Mnangagwa signalled his desire to re-engage with the West by inviting the United Nations, European Union and the Commonwealth to monitor elections in Zimbabwe in 2018. Additionally, Mnangagwa has signalled his wish to re-establish good relations with the United Kingdom and additionally re-join the Commonwealth, a prospect which he said was improved by the British exit from the European Union ,this are only few pointers to showing that he is truly a changed man.
