Mary-Kate Kahari
CAPE TOWN– Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, General Philip Valerio Sibanda(C), has reportedly given President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a six-month deadline to leave office, amid reports that the president is resisting to step down following the expiry of his departure date, whose announcement timeline had been set for end of July 2020, Spotlight Zimbabwe, has been told.
Mnangagwa was due to announce his resignation date on national television a few days ago, but instead his propaganda unit in the president’s office and information permanent secretary, Nick Mangwana, turned the television appearance into a “state of the nation address”, as the ruling Zanu PF leader continued to dig in refusing to vacate office.
According to classified information and notes of a top security meeting held early last month by a coterie of military generals in the outskirts of the capital, thought to be loyal to General Sibanda and Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, provided by a Zimbabwe military attaché in China and defence adviser here in South Africa, the ZDF chief is said to have informally told Mnangagwa to leave office in no more than six months times, which is around January 2021, as there is mounting pressure inside the army to launch another putsch, to get rid of him contrary to his administration’s fire-fighting media campaign to deny that securocrats want him packed and gone.
General Sibanda they said also made it clear that he prefers VP Chiwenga to takeover, and that this position is firmly supported by the army and air force.
The shock disclosures comes at a time when the United Nations (UN), South Africa, Namibia and former Botswana leader, Ian Khama all yesterday roundly condemned Mnangagwa’s administration’s appalling human rights record, and continued use of political brutality to cow the opposition and civil society into submission of it’s inhuman repressive government style.
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, also yesterday appointed former Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete and former Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi as special envoys to Zimbabwe, in a bid to resolve the crisis in the country, as regional and international leaders speak out against Mnangagwa. Ramaphosa has even stated that, he is “worried about interacting with Mnangagwa”, as revealed by the ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule while in an interview on eNCA television station yesterday afternoon.
Magashule said Ramaphosa is also worried that the human right abuse reports coming from Zimbabwe: “Might destabilise the region and South Africa is ready to assist Zimbabwe to stabilise the country”.
Our political sources in the South African presidency in Pretoria, this week privately admitted that Ramaphosa was now allegedly fed up with Mnangagwa, and could no longer continue to defend his actions with Western leaders.
“It is true that GPVS (General Philip Valerio Sibanda) informally asked Mnangagwa to now leave the stage,” said the defence adviser. “The ZDF Commander gave me a six month deadline early last month, citing growing pressure from the military leadership to launch another coup to oust him. Sibanda reportedly endorsed VP Chiwenga and that the army and air force were also in favour of this position.”
“The state media and Mnangagwa’s information strategists are unwittingly digging a grave for him,” the military attaché said.
“He was told that when he goes for his annual Christmas holiday in December, he’s supposed to officially announce his resignation from office of The President of The Republic of Zimbabwe, to pave way for VP Chiwenga to finish his term, as the military could actually deal with the economy and allow for stability.”
“However Mnangagwa’s digital brownshirts (hired journalists and information strategists), decided to water down the pressure for his exit by designing an abrupt press conference by home affairs minister, Kazembe Kazembe, towards the end of July banning the planned 31 July protests. It has only managed to defer his inevitable fall. Soon after that the same media team headed by information secretary, Nick Mangwana, prepared another abrupt state of the nation address, for damage control purposes, but as you can see it has all backfired. VP Chiwenga might end up as president as early as January 2021.”
“As a distraction Mnangagwa was advised to appoint the VP as health minister, to try and appease him, but that man cannot be fooled. Prepare for the endgame because Mnangagwa is going soon. Some Zanu PF politburo members want him gone also this November, and that he suffers the same fate and humiliation as former leader, President Robert Mugabe,” he added.
ZDF public relations last night referred all questions to information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, who was unreachable following reports that she’s gone into self-isolation, after her husband tested positive for Covid-19.
The minister is not believed to have the virus herself, but is in self-isolation as a precaution.
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