A Mashonaland West chief believed to be former President Robert Mugabe’s relative, Chief Zvimba, has applauded President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe National Army for launching Operation Restore Legacy. The Operation refers to a soft military coup against Mugabe carried out by the military in November 2017. It was undertaken to remove ‘criminals’ who had ‘captured’ President Mugabe. Addressing ZANU PF supporters at Murombedzi Growth Point under his jurisdiction, Chief Zvimba said
We thank you for keeping the former president in safe hands and providing him with everything that he needs.
However, the criminals who had surrounded the former President must be dealt with decisively. They were putting the reputation of the party in disrepute. They had captured the former president. They were also victimising civilians.
So we thank you for facilitating their removal from power. Some of them had become very disrespectful; they were in the habit of bypassing protocol. The likes of (Saviour) Kasukuwere and (Ignatius) Chombo, had become hot-headed, so thank you for removing them.