Chiyangwa backs Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe

Shakespeare Muzavazi

Flamboyant businessman, Mugabe’s nephew and ZIFA President Dr Philip Chiyayangwa is suspected to have thrown his weight behind lacoste leader Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa amid his recent fall out with G40 shenanigans.

Chiyangwa made stunning claims yesterday attacking Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister and Zanu PF Political Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere for demanding a US$ 5 million bribe from him.

The move by Chiyangwa has dealt a major blow to the G40 faction and in process, giving an upper hand to Lacoste whose main thrust is to eliminate all G40 echelons from the ruling party.

In an interview with the press, Dr Chiyangwa described Minister Kasukuwere as “a bribe-taker who wanted to reap where he did not sow”.

“He demanded $5 million from me,” he said. “Let him respond to it and I will unleash all the bombs on him. I will write a book about Tyson and myself. He is simply a bribe-taker. I am warning him against continuously demanding bribes from people.”

When given the right of reply, Kasukuwere vehemently accused Dr Chiyangwa of corruptly acquiring close to 12 million hectares of land from local authorities and that he (as the Minister of Local Government) was simply enquiring on how he got such tracts of land.

“Chiyangwa has been corrupting ministry officials and managed to steal almost 12 million hectares of land in this country,” he said. “I am merely doing my job. I am trying to inquire on how he acquired the land and he is trying to cover up for his criminality.

“There is a big inquiry for Chiyangwa and he will not get away with it,” Kasukuwere charged.

This development comes when all Zanu-PF’s 10 administrative provinces have unanimously passed votes of no confidence in Kasukuwere, who faces a litany of accusations, including plotting to topple President Mugabe by setting up parallel party structures.

Manicaland and Matabeleland South provinces endorsed the decision yesterday, while Matabeleland North is set to ratify the decision tomorrow