The near-fatal helicopter crash at Masvingo Airport, which narrowly avoided claiming the life of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has ignited a fierce power struggle within Zanu-PF, deepening existing tensions between the President and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the News Haws has reported.
“The issue of the helicopter crash has played out big in government and ruling party meetings after the incident, fueling mutual suspicions and tensions between them. Mnangagwa’s view is simply that Chiwenga knows what happened, although the Vice President was in Bulawayo for different engagement. There is the question of why Chiwenga did not attend Mnangagwa’s birthday celebrations at Great Zimbabwe Monuments in Masvingo where the President launched Munhumutapa Day; his coronation for 2030. That was a coronation birthday ceremony,” revealed an insider with intimate knowledge of the situation.
Adding fuel to the fire is Chiwenga’s conspicuous absence from Mnangagwa’s birthday celebrations at the Great Zimbabwe monuments.
“Mnangagwa is furious about the incident and wonders why Chiwenga did not attend his birthday, but chose to go to Bulawayo for an insignificant event on his big day. Chiwenga on his part says he was not invited, but Mnangagwa points out that the Vice President sometimes attends events uninvited. The real reason is Chiwenga did not want to attend Mnangagwa’s birthday at Great Zimbabwe is that he thinks it’s a sacred place and should not be defiled or desecrated by celebrations like birthdays. These leaders can be spiritual and invoke religion into their politics. For them, religion and politics in have always been intertwined and trade together,” explained another source.
The choice of Great Zimbabwe as the venue for the President’s birthday celebrations further complicated matters. Sources suggest that the intertwining of religion and politics in Zimbabwean culture – particularly the significance of African traditional and church-based religions – played a crucial role in escalating the conflict.
Zanu-PF politicians frequently leverage religious institutions and events for political gain, leading to a deep-seated belief in the sanctity of places like Great Zimbabwe. The perceived desecration of this sacred site by Mnangagwa’s birthday celebrations is viewed with grave concern by Chiwenga.
The power struggle has reached alarming proportions, with one source stating: “Mnangagwa does not want to fly any helicopter when Chiwenga is not in, and Chiwenga does not want to fly with Mnangagwa. To make matters worse, senior military commanders also did not attend Mnangagwa’s birthday, but went to Chiwenga’s event, showing where their loyalty lies.” This stark display of divided loyalty within the military underscores the gravity of the situation.
Adding on to the intrigue, last week, Chiwenga reportedly drove to Nyanga and refused be transported by a helicopter.
A former Zanu PF activist and political analyst, CDE never Maswerasei, said on Twitter: “EXCLUSIVE CABLE: Fearing a possible 2nd chopper setup, the man-marked Vice President Constantine Chiwenga declined being ferried in a helicopter to Regina Coeli in Nyanga preferring to drive instead. While going by road, Chiwenga told security to fly to Nyanga & they meet there. The Air Force of Zimbabwe helicopter that crashed had initially been reserved for transporting Vice President Constantine Chiwenga and some of his security aides to and from the hastily arranged Munhumutapa event in Masvingo.”
The Vice President had gone to Nyanga to officially inaugurate Regina Coeli Primary School to emphasise the Government’s dedication to inclusive education and community development. The new school, situated in the Nyanga North Constituency, reflects the administration’s commitment to ensuring that no individual or region is overlooked in the pursuit of progress.
The Masvingo incident is merely the latest in a series of events that have fuelled Mnangagwa’s growing sense of paranoia and fear. The 2018 Bulawayo bombing, the 2021 presidential helicopter crash landing near Norton, the Victoria Falls bomb scare in March, and now the Masvingo incident, have all contributed to a climate of heightened anxiety. This anxiety is so profound that the President even skipped the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York.
While the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and state security services are investigating the Masvingo crash, suspicions of foul play are rife within the President’s inner circle.
“For you as media, it’s just a news story; a good story, but well for the President and us, it’s a chilling political and security issue. It’s a big issue,” an official close to Mnangagwa confided to The News Hawks.
The official further expressed deep concern, stating, “That helicopter was supposed to fetch the President and his entourage after his birthday celebrations, so when such sort of a shocking thing happens, it rings the alarm bells. It worries all of us around the President. Was it a genuine crash caused by a technical failure, or it was foul play? Was it an accident or it was by design? Alternatively, was it a technical or political issue, or both? The question is: what happened?”
The Mil Mi-8 helicopter was preparing for a short flight to Bikita to collect the President following a groundbreaking ceremony for a housing development. President Mnangagwa was accompanied by First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa, Vice President Kembo Mohadi, and Defence Minister Opah Muchinguri-Kashiri. The President’s visit to Bikita held personal significance, as it is the birthplace of his father, Mafidi.
The President’s birthday celebrations were further overshadowed by Chiwenga’s absence. Sources close to the Vice President claim that he chose to attend the baptism of his children instead, citing a lack of an official invitation to the “Munhumutapa Day” celebrations. This explanation, however, does little to quell the growing speculation surrounding the deepening rift between the two leaders.
The escalating tensions between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, coupled with the unresolved questions surrounding the Masvingo helicopter incident, paint a picture of deep political instability within Zimbabwe and especially within the ruling Zanu PF party.
The parallels to the fates of Herbert Chitepo, Josiah Magama Tongogara, and Solomon Mujuru – all prominent figures in the liberation struggle who met untimely ends – serve as a stark reminder of the potential for violence and intrigue within the ruling party and President Mnangagwa is reportedly not taking these events lightly.
