President Robert Mugabe anointed Emmerson Mnangagwa as his successor just before the 2007extraordinarycongress but wanted to contest the next elections and win before stepping down.
This was said by Jonathan Moyo, who was an independent candidate at the time after being expelled from the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front in 2005 for refusing to give up the Tsholotsho seat to a woman candidate.
Moyo told United States embassy officials that although Mugabe had indicated to his party that he would step down after winning re-election, he doubted that Mugabe would do so voluntarily.
Moyo was speaking before ZANU-PF held its special congress which had been called after Solomon Mujuru and Mashonaland East province refused to endorse Mugabe as the presidential candidate for the next elections at the Goromonzi annual conference in December 2006.
Moyo said that in calling a congress Mugabe was playing a dangerous game. While he might gain a strong endorsement from the party going into the 2008 election, there was a possibility that he could be replaced as ZANU-PF’s nominee because the Mujuru faction was mounting a challenge to Mugabe by garnering support in the provinces in anticipation of the December congress
Moyo said Mugabe, who had throat cancer, was determined to run for reelection against the advice of his physician. Though campaigning would be difficult and imperil his health, Mugabe was determined to proceed because he wanted to leave office after winning and not after being defeated.
Below are the Wikileaks cables that mention Mnangagwa’s name.
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