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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 15 november 2017

Military in Zimbabwe’s capital after army chief’s threat

By FARAI MUTSAKA faction associated with
Associated Press Mugabe’s wife, Grace.
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) The first lady now appears
— At least three explosions positioned to replace
were heard in Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa as one of the
capital early Wednesday country’s two vice presi-
and military vehicles were dents at a special confer-
seen in the streets after ence of the ruling party in
the army commander December, leading many
threatened to “step in” to in Zimbabwe to suspect
calm political tensions over that she could succeed her
93-year-old President Rob- husband. Grace Mugabe
ert Mugabe’s possible suc- is unpopular with some
cessor. Zimbabweans because of
The ruling party accused lavish spending as many
the commander of “trea- struggle, and four people
sonable conduct.” accused of booing her at a
The Associated Press saw recent rally were arrested.
armed soldiers assault- On Monday, army com-
ing passers-by in the early mander Constantino
morning hours in Harare, as Chiwenga issued an un-
well as soldiers loading am- precedented statement
munition near a group of saying purges against se-
four military vehicles. nior ruling ZANU-PF party In this Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017 file photo, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, centre, arrives
The explosions could be officials, many of whom like for a solidarity rally in Harare.
heard near the University of Mnangagwa fought for lib- Associated Press
Zimbabwe campus. eration, should end “forth- ration read out part of the Otherwise it will be a and blaming him for the
Those developments came with.” ruling party statement late coup,” he told supporters economic crisis.
several hours after The As- “We must remind those be- in the nightly news, which in July. “Mnangagwa was held out
sociated Press on Tuesday hind the current treacher- was led by a report on re- Frustration has been grow- by many as the best hope
saw three armored person- ous shenanigans that when gional tourism. ing in once-prosperous Zim- within ZANU-PF for piloting
nel carriers with several sol- it comes to matters of pro- The army spokesman was babwe as the economy an economic recovery,”
diers in a convoy heading tecting our revolution, the not immediately available collapses under Mugabe. analyst Piers Pigou with the
toward an army barracks military will not hesitate to for comment. The country was shaken International Crisis Group
just outside the capital. step in,” the army com- “Yes, given the past two last year by the biggest an- wrote Tuesday.
For the first time, this south- mander said. The state-run weeks’ political events, it ti-government protests in a Now, “Mugabe will have to
ern African nation is see- broadcaster did not report is tempting to speculate decade, and a once-loyal employ all his guile if he in-
ing an open rift between on his statement. that there is a connec- war veterans association tends to ensure continued
the military and Mugabe, Showing a generational tion between the deploy- turned on the president, accommodation with the
the world’s oldest head of divide, the ruling party’s ment of military personnel calling him “dictatorial” armed forces.”q
state who has ruled since youth league, aligned with and the comments of the
independence from white the 52-year-old first lady, on army chief of staff on an New book details decades of
minority rule in 1980. The Tuesday criticized the army ‘intervention’ - but there African investigative journalism
military has been a key pil- commander’s comments, are very real dangers of
lar of his power. saying youth were “ready violence breaking out as a By COLIN McCLELLAND the New Vision newspaper
Mugabe last week fired to die for Mugabe.” result of rampant and un- Associated Press in neighboring Uganda,
Vice President Emmerson On Tuesday night the ruling founded speculation,” Afri- JOHANNESBURG (AP) was the first correspondent
Mnangagwa and accused party issued a statement can Defence Review ana- — Her first stories on the to expose the nationwide
him of plotting to take accusing the army com- lyst Conway Waddington 1994 Rwandan genocide dimensions of the horror.
power, including through mander of “treasonable wrote Tuesday evening, weren’t published. Her edi- Her work is a highlight of
witchcraft. conduct,” saying his com- saying there appeared to tor couldn’t believe them. the new book “African
Mnangagwa, who en- ments were “clearly cal- be no other signs of an “or- No one could. Muckraking: 75 Years of In-
joyed the military’s back- culated to disturb national ganized coup” and that it A church filled with 1,300 vestigative Journalism from
ing and once was seen as peace and stability” and could have been an act of bodies yet far from the kill- Africa.”
a potential president, fled were “meant to incite insur- intimidation instead. ings in the capital, Kigali, “She really persuaded her
the country and said he rection.” Mugabe in the past has reported by other news editor to send her back into
had been threatened. It was not clear whether warned military com- outlets? A mass grave with Rwanda with a photogra-
Over 100 senior officials the commander still had manders from interfering in 500 dead and a few survi- pher,” Anya Schiffrin, the
allegedly supporting him his post. succession politics. “Politics vors crawling out? Columbia University profes-
have been listed for dis- State broadcaster Zimba- shall always lead the gun, Yet Sheila Kawamara- sor who edited the collec-
ciplinary measures by a bwe Broadcasting Corpo- and not the gun politics. Mishambi, a reporter for tion, said in an interview. q