President Robert Mugabe is reported to have deployed senior military commanders outside the country as a way of isolating his former aide and deputy, former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa was fired on Monday after being accused of disloyalty among other allegations.
Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantino Chiwenga, was sent to China an official mission last week while Zimbabwe National Army (Chief of Staff-General Staff) Major-General Trust Mugoba was deployed to the African Union standby force on Saturday. This was done to prevent possible military intervention from the generals. General Chiwenga had publicly supported Emmerson Mnangagwa going as far as threatening Professor Jonathan Moyo for criticising Mnangagwa’s Command Agriculture Programme.
Sources who spoke to The Independent said:
Chiwenga’s trip and Mugabe’s redeployment were part of Mugabe’s plan to fire Mnangagwa. This was necessary because of threats of military intervention.
Since then, he has been manoeuvring to neutralise military commanders linked to Mnangagwa to ensure that they do not scuttle his succession plans to install Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi as his successor with Grace and Phelekezela Mphoko as his deputies.
Grace will become new vice-president next month together with Sekeramayi and Mphoko, meaning three vice-presidents, as part of the process to resolve the succession issue.
More: The Independent