Mary-Kate Kahari
CAPE TOWN– President Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly lied through his teeth, when he claimed to have been poisoned by the former first family of the Mugabes in 2017, through an ice-cream plot, Spotlight Zimbabwe, can reveal.
According to officials close to the country’s military doctors, Mnangagwa’s blood is said to have tested negative of any posoining form, and that his illness claims where a ploy to “to gain sympathy with military generals”, to come to his side as the putsch against Mugabe in November 2017 gathered momentum.
The officials, one with now a diplomatic posting here in South Africa, said Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, is reportedly furious with Mnangagwa’s political antics, as he “literally moved mountains” to save Mnangagwa’s life using army helicopters and transportation for his emergency treatment in South Africa.
“The cat is out of the bag. Ende zvirikunyadzisa (it’s embarrassing for Mnangagwa),” said the Pretoria based Zimbabwe embassy staffer. “Senior people in the army and in the inner circle of the vice president, managed to carry out an investigation into the matter, and they got his medical report via our military doctors. You know these people have a way of extracting information. So the results from South Africa were all negative, and Chiwenga is very furious for being sold a dummy.”
“Mnangagwa wanted the full support and sympathy of army commanders. He made them to feel sorry for him, as if the Mugabes really wanted to take him out. If there’s anything that has ended his rule, then it’s this deception with the army. Masecurocrats (securocrats) are also very angry, because the Mugabe coup was built on the foundation of deception and lies from Mnangagwa’s then lacoste faction. There is a lot of regret about believing him and making him president. They thought he would be able to stabilise the economy and get the country working, but none of that has happened. Something is brewing, nekuti hazvisikuperera ipapo (the story is not going to end like this).”
As if to confirm ouster fears for his boss, deputy defence minister, Victor Matemadanda, this week took to social media, where he castigated Zanu PF factionalists who he alleges want to dethrone “our president unconstitutionally”, and are bent on creating two centres of power.
“We won’t hesitate to deal with those who try to create two centres of power within the ruling party, “Matemadanda said using a Twitter handle alleged to be his. “I stand firm with Presideent Cde Emmerson D Mnangagwa. A leader is elected by the congress not those who are power hungry trying to dethrone our president unconstitutionally.”
However Matemadanda has since disowned the Twitter account in his name, saying the handle was an attempt to tarnish his reputation and foment divisions in the revolutionary party.
“I do not have a Twitter account. Let it be known that Matemadanda does not have a Twitter account. The Twitter account is a creation of my enemies who are trying to destabilise the party and soil my name,” he told the government press yesterday.
The deputy minister, said those behind the fake Twitter handle were shameless impostors bent on soiling his image for cheap political gain, adding that no amount of smearing will break Zanu PF.
Mnangagwa claimed to have suffered ice-cream poisoning in Gwanda in August 2017, and was ironically rushed to South Africa for treatment via air, through Manyame Air Base upon instructions from an alert Chiwenga, who was still Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, at the time.
Former Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, during the saga publicly reprimanded Mnangagwa, accusing him of trying to “destabilise” the country.
Mphoko at the time, said doctors had confirmed to Mugabe that stale food and not poison was to blame.
Former First Lady Grace Mugabe, also told a rally that both she and Mugabe had been having sleepless nights because of accusations that it was ice cream from her dairy business that had been laced with poison for Mnangagwa.
South African doctors who performed a minor surgery on Mnangagwa that year, reportedly said that they “detected traces of palladium poison which had partly damaged part of his liver”.
Private media reports in Zimbabwe and South Africa, said it was thought the president had consumed non-radioactive poison, which required a systems flush out over two months.
“The VP ingested potent, non-radioactive poison which has low quality palladium substances which caused minor liver damage and he had to undergo surgery…,” the media reported.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba, was said to have gone home early yesterday, when we called his office for comment.
spotlight zim
