HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday said demands by a group of war veterans for him to step down were “treasonous” as he vowed to crush planned protests on March 31.
The Zanu PF leader also denounced “chameleon-like characters” in his party, a rare admission of rampant factionalism.
Mnangagwa told the Zanu PF central committee in Harare: “It is most unfortunate that a retrogressive trend has emerged, with some members of our party showing their chameleon-like characters as willing accessories to our detractors for the purpose of desecrating our rich revolutionary heritage. Down with them!
“Their actions are an affront to the party’s principles and grossly taint our country’s image as well as the gains of our liberation struggle. These rogue opportunists will soon meet their fate.”
The challenge to Mnangagwa’s eight-year rule is coming from a faction of the independence war veterans who accuse the 82-year-old of leadership failures and surrounding himself with” criminals” who live off corruptly-awarded state contracts.
Two of the leaders of the veterans – Blessed Geza and Andreas Mathibela – are believed to have skipped the country to escape sedition charges.
Geza, an ally of Mnangagwa’s deputy Constantino Chiwenga, has released YouTube videos calling for an “uprising” to oust Mnangagwa on March 31.
It remains unclear if his message will be heeded but Mnangagwa has acted on the threat with a nationwide deployment of security forces. He also retired army commander Lieutenant General Anselem Senyatwe amid growing fears of a possible coup by former allies.
Mnangagwa believes he has support within his party to overcome “such treasonous acts of indiscipline.”
He added in his address to the central committee: “People are called upon to go about their business as usual (on March 31). Our state security infrastructure is in place to protect property and the safety of all Zimbabweans, from Plumtree to Mutare, Chirundu to Beitbridge.”
