Zimpapers Logo

VP Mnangagwa

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
FIRST Lady Dr Grace Mugabe has described Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa as a “liquidator” and “ravisher” whose coup plots can be traced as far back as 1980 when he reportedly unsuccessfully attempted to wrestle power from President Mugabe soon after the country’s first democratic elections.

Addressing thousands of members of the indigenous apostolic sects at the “Super Sunday” rally in Harare yesterday, Dr Mugabe said VP Mnangagwa’s coup tendencies have resulted in several youths being fired from zanu-pf while he remained silent.

First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe

“From 1980, this person called Mnangagwa has always wanted to stage a coup. I am in a privileged position and I have the information. He actually wanted to wrestle power from the President. After the 1980 elections, Mnangagwa plotted a coup with assistance of the whites. He advised the President to leave the country saying the whites wanted to kill him.

“The President left for Mozambique and told Samora (Machel). Machel directed President Mugabe to go back to Zimbabwe. The President went to see Julius Nyerere, but he found it unnecessary to talk about the coup plot. He had to talk about other things before going back to Zimbabwe. When the President called Mnangagwa from outside the country, Mnangagwa said ‘Don’t come back! Don’t come back!’ with an intention of staging a coup.

Minister Hlongwane

“This person has always been like that. Makhosini (Minister Hlongwane), that man is a liquidator. He is a ravisher. Go and look up what these words mean,” she said.

A ravisher is a dissolute person; usually a man who is morally unrestrained. Dr Mugabe said VP Mnangagwa had taken the President for granted for too long and the time had come for his expulsion from the party.

She said VP Mnangagwa will not succeed in fighting President Mugabe, an anointed leader.

“President Mugabe is an anointed leader and no man can succeed in unconstitutionally removing him from office. They consult prophets and n’angas on how to wrest power from him, but they will not succeed. Leadership comes from God,” Amai Mugabe said.

The First Lady said zanu-pf must desist from factionalism and start working towards fulfilling the promises made in the previous elections. “I denounce people who want to divide the party. We made a lot of promises and this is the time for us to work towards fulfilling them before the next elections,” she said.

VP Mnangagwa, the First Lady said, was a liar, who denied knowledge of the existence of his Lacoste faction when youths were being sacked from the party. “The last time I went to Mashonaland Central, there was talk of the Lacoste and G40 factions. I did not find anything to do with the so-called G40. I realised that, in fact, there was his Lacoste faction.

“Whenever Mnangagwa stands up in the Politburo, he professes ignorance of such a faction. I finally got ired and told him face off that he was a liar.

“Many children were fired because of him and he does not do anything,” said the First Lady.

Dr Mugabe said VP Mnangagwa was a coward who cannot stand for himself and the youths he uses when push comes to shove.

“That man is a real coward. He once complained to the President that I had offended him in my speech in Mashonaland Central, but when I asked him how, he could not even say anything.

“I told him that he was a faction leader and I asked him to stop the nonsense,” she said.

The First Lady also accused VP Mnangagwa of trying to block the elevation of the now late Cde Shuvai Mahofa to the position of Minister of State for Masvingo Province.

“As Women’s League, we requested the President to appoint Cde Mahofa as Minister of State for Masvingo.

“When the President consulted VP Mnangagwa, he tried to thwart the idea saying Cde Mahofa was incompetent and that she could not even walk. We objected to that because disability or a condition on someone cannot deny him or her a chance to hold office. However, when Cde Mahofa died, Mnangagwa went to the funeral and said bad things when in actual fact, he was the one who tried to block her appointment,” said Dr Mugabe.

The First Lady accused VP Mnangagwa of hijacking Command Agriculture by giving the impression that it was his brainchild when she had originated the idea.