Zimlive online newspaper reported, today, that Zimbabwe Vice President, General Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga, is furious with his former close ally, Billionaire, Kuda Tagwirei, who is currently raising funds to support a new plan to extend Mnangagwa’s presidential term.
Mnangagwa’s current second Presidential term comes to an end in 2028, however, Mnangagwa’s close allies are trying to find ways of blocking his second in command, General Chiwenga, from succeeding Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa allies believe that if Chiwenga takes over as Zimbabwe President, he will seek revenge and remove them from lucrative positions and financial arrangements. During his tenure, Mnangagwa has packed government and public sector positions with friends and relatives.
The newspaper said Tagwirei, in a bid to mend fences with Chiwenga, lavished the vice president with expensive gifts, including a luxurious Mercedes Maybach and a seven-digit sum of money as a wedding present last December when he married Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi.
A source told Zimlive that Chiwenga has largely spurned these peace overtures, deepening the animosity between the two men.
The once-close relationship between Tagwirei and Chiwenga soured after Tagwirei – who is under Western sanctions for corruption – switched allegiance during Chiwenga’s extended medical treatment in China in 2019. Chiwenga’s sudden return to Zimbabwe in November 2019, after months of speculation about his health, marked the beginning of a re-alignment of alliances with his some of his close supporters who had switched allegiance.
Zimlive concluded by saying Mnangagwa has changed his strategy, and has abandoned any plans for a third term , instead , Mnangagwa is now focusing on extending his current term to 2030.
“This is a most closely kept secret in the party, 2030 is not about a fresh term, it’s about extending the current term for everyone who was elected on 23 and 24 August 2023. Basically, it is about moving the next harmonised general election from 2028 to 2030. This would be similar to the changes that happened in 2008 when the term of MPs was reduced by two years, albeit under the old constitution.”
Please read the full story in today’s ZimLive Newspaper – 20 March 2024.
