GWERU – President Emmerson Mnangagwa – angry after getting a rare chastisement from South Africa’s ruling African National Congress last week – is blaming exiled loyalists of the late former President Robert Mugabe for turning his regional comrades against him.
Mnangagwa, speaking in Gweru on Saturday, accused the former Zanu PF members who fled after the military deposed Mugabe in 2017 of spreading “fictitious narratives” about human rights abuses by his regime.
The 77-year-old says he will ask the South Africa to extradite some of Mugabe’s loyalists who have sought refuge there, escaping attempted assassinations and criminal charges which they maintain are political persecution.
The so-called Generation 40 (G40) faction were the biggest losers when Mnangagwa seized power following a military coup.
Former foreign minister Walter Mzembi, former local government minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao recently met ANC officials in Johannesburg.
“So, these G40 elements peddling falsehoods and fictitious narratives about Zimbabwe, we know where they are, but we had remained silent and reluctant. But we have an extradition treaty between Zimbabwe and South Africa,” Mnangagwa said, speaking at a Zanu PF provincial coordinating committee meeting.
“I’m now going to give instructions to invoke this treaty so that we can extradite these elements to face the law. This is not an exception in Zimbabwe, even in America they do so, they invoke this treaty if they have a fugitive citizen they want. In Zimbabwe we have been reluctant but now we want them to come and face the law.”
The ANC sent a delegation to Zimbabwe last week carrying a message to Zanu PF to stop a clampdown on Mnangagwa’s rivals and respect human rights.
Mnangagwa refused the delegation an opportunity to meet with his rivals, rights groups and even the United States ambassador who had sought an audience.
“There are problems in Zimbabwe, major challenges both of social, economic and to some extent of a political nature,” Tony Yengeni, a member of the ANC’s National Executive Committee said back home after the trip to Harare.
Head of delegation Ace Magashule, the ANC’s secretary general, added: “We have agreed that there were challenges in Zimbabwe that must be confronted. As liberation movements, we should respect human rights. We respect freedom of association and freedom of speech.”
Mnangagwa is angry over the admonishment by a fellow liberation movement, and his officials have been wheeled out in recent days to reject the criticism and insist that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe.
Inflation is running over 800 percent but salaries have not caught up, and joblessness has seen a new exodus of Zimbabweans to South Africa, which officials there say has not become a domestic crisis.
Facing growing anger, Mnangagwa has lashed out at his critics by deploying security forces to curtail freedoms under the cover of the Covid-19 regulations. Dozens of people including journalists have been arrested and held without bail, while others have been abducted and tortured.
