Short history of how ZANU PF leaders were removed

By Hopewell Chin’ono

Spare a thought for General Constantino Chiwenga and his military colleagues, who carried out a coup to remove Robert Mugabe on the understanding that Emmerson Mnangagwa would serve only one term.

Now Mnangagwa wants a third term.

Interestingly, from its inception, ZANUPF has never had a change of leadership based on retirement.

Its first leader, Ndabaningi Sithole, was removed by the military through the Mgagao Declaration in November 1975.

Its auxiliary leader when Sithole and Mugabe were in jail, Herbert Chitepo, was killed by the military in Zambia in 1975 in an ethnic conflict, although his party shamelessly puts the blame on Ian Smith, despite an international inquiry ordered by the Zambian government proving otherwise.

The leader who followed, Robert Mugabe, was also removed by the military in a coup in 2017.

Now we await to see how Mnangagwa’s presidency will end.

If he succeeds in securing his 2030 wish and fulfills it, he will be the first ZANUPF leader not to be removed or killed by the military.