VANCOUVER/HARARE– Spotlight Zimbabwe, reports that they have received a leaked list of possible key members of a post-President Emmerson Mnangagwa government, expected to take the reins in Harare within the coming 12 months, after Mnangagwa, inevitably departs from office.

 

According to military intelligence sources, an army faction backing Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, has resolved to make Chiwenga the country’s president once he fully recovers from his health situation. In another interesting development, Chiwenga’s security services allies also now want the ailing VP to pick Rtd Air Chief Marshall, Perence Shiri, as one of his vice presidents, for his loyalty to Chiwenga and unwavering support during the November 2017 Operation Restore Legacy, which resulted in former leader, President Robert Mugabe, being ousted from power through a military putsch.

 

In perhaps an unintended tacit admission and confirmation that Chiwenga should be the rightful president, who only passed on the presidency to Mnangagwa, Shiri, last year shocked farmers during an agricultural tour in Mashonaland West, where he praised the VP for not seizing power but following due procedure during Operation Restore Legacy.

“General Chiwenga is the person who orchastrated Operation Restore Legacy. He is a principled man who does things in honesty,” said Shiri. “If it was someone else, he could have taken over power, declaring that he was in charge. There was nothing that could have stopped him since he was in charge of the army. General Chiwenga is a person who is politically mature and with the people and country at heart. Due to political orientation, he understood that hove huru dzinofamba nemurongwa (leadership renewal follows laid down procedures). As a result, the party chose President Emmerson Mnangagwa to lead the party, while VP Chiwenga wanted to return to the barracks. However, President Mnangagwa appointed him Vice President and second secretary of the ruling Zanu PF party.”

Spotlight Zimbabwe,  reports and confirms, that former cabinet minister in Mugabe’s government, Saviour Kasukuwere, is being courted by the army to become the ruling Zanu PF presidential candidate in 2023. The military is said to be pushing for a civilian figurehead president once the post-Mnangagwa administartion tenure ends, who is likely to be deputised by a high ranking general, in this case possibly the current Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, General Phililp Valerio Sibanda.

Below is the leaked list of the incoming 2020 government obtained a fortnight ago:

President: Rtd General Constantino Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga

First Vice President: Rtd Air Chief Marshall Perence Shiri/ or Oppah Muchinguri- Kashiri

Second Vice President: Simon Khaya Moyo/or Sibusiso Busi Moyo

Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander: General Philip Valerio Sibanda

Zimbabwe National Army Commander: Lieutenant general Edzai Absolom Chanyuka Chimonyo

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet: George Charamba

2023 Zanu PF presidential candidate and likely Zimbabwe president-elect: Saviour Kasukuwere

— Spotlight