Categories: Stories

Mnangagwa according to the Wikileaks cables- Part Three

Zimbabwe Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa would be more ruthless than Robert Mugabe if he becomes president, a former lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe Brian Raftopoulos said 16 years ago when Mnangagwa rose from the political brink to become the fifth most powerful person in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

Mnangagwa who had just lost his Kwekwe seat to little known Blessing Chebundo of the Movement for Democratic Change was rescued by Mugabe who appointed him Speaker of Parliament and then elevated him to party Secretary for Administration, the fifth most powerful post in ZANU-PF after Mugabe, his two-vice presidents and the national chairman.

Mnangagwa was one of the most feared people in the ruling party because of his reputation as an “enforcer” but this, United States officials said, would play to his advantage to hold ZANU-PF together.

Embassy officials felt that if Mnangagwa became president he would be just as dictatorial as Mugabe but Raftopoulos believed that he would be even more ruthless than Mugabe.

Former politburo member Sikhanyiso Ndlovu also felt that Mnangagwa was not liked in the party because of his ruthlessness.

He described Mnangagwa as a hardliner “through and through” and said given a choice, the politburo would select Sydney Sekeramayi to succeed Mugabe.

Below are the Wikileaks cables that mention Mnangagwa’s name.

Continued next page

(758 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 8:59 pm

Page: 1 2 3 4

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

Recent Posts

ZiG loses steam, falls against US dollar for five consecutive days

The Zimbabwe Gold fell against the United States dollar for five consecutive days from Monday…

November 22, 2024

Indian think tank says Starlink is a wolf in sheep’s clothing

An Indian think tank has described Starlink, a satellite internet service provider which recently entered…

November 18, 2024

ZiG firms against US dollar for 10 days running but people still do not have confidence in the currency

Zimbabwe’s new currency, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), firmed against the United States dollars for 10…

November 16, 2024

Zimbabwe among the top countries with the widest gap between the rich and poor

Zimbabwe is among the top 30 countries in the world with the widest gap between…

November 14, 2024

Can the ZiG sustain its rally against the US dollar?

Zimbabwe’s battered currency, the Zimbabwe Gold, which was under attack until the central bank devalued…

November 10, 2024

Will Mnangagwa go against the trend in the region?

Plans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa to…

October 22, 2024