Bulawayo – The investigation into the June 23, 2018, grenade attack on President Emmerson Mnangagwa at a Zanu-PF rally in Bulawayo has taken an unexpected turn with the arrival of Chinese investigators. This development, revealed by ZimLive, adds a new layer of complexity to a case that has remained unresolved for over five years.
A team from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) revisited the White City Stadium crime scene on November 27, accompanied by four Chinese investigators. Their arrival, however, was not without incident.
A brief standoff ensued with Bulawayo City Council security guards who initially refused entry due to a lack of prior clearance from City Hall. According to a council official briefed on the matter, the police team ultimately forced their way into the stadium.
“The four Chinese guys spent time interviewing people who were present on the day of the explosion. They also dutifully made drawings and took notes. They were there for about two hours,” the source said.
The presence of Chinese investigators raises questions about the nature of their involvement and the potential for new evidence or expertise to be brought to bear on the case.
National police spokesman Commissioner Paul Nyathi, however, claimed ignorance of the Chinese investigators’ presence in the country. This discrepancy between official statements and on-the-ground reports further highlights the opacity surrounding the investigation.
Evidence collected at the scene identified the explosive device as an offensive fragmentation grenade of Soviet origin – a type actively used by the Zimbabwean military, according to sources.
Early reports speculated that the grenade might have originated from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) armoury. However, it was quickly established that the ZRP had disposed of its grenade stocks in the late 1980s, effectively ruling out that possibility.
The explosion occurred just metres from President Mnangagwa and other Zanu-PF VIPs as they were leaving the stadium. Two aides of Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi were killed in the blast, while Mohadi himself suffered leg injuries and received treatment in South Africa alongside several other survivors, including Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri.
In the aftermath of the attack, President Mnangagwa, speaking to the BBC on June 27, 2018, expressed his suspicion that loyalists of former President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, were responsible. He vowed that arrests would be made swiftly.
Later, in August 2018, addressing Zanu-PF parliamentary candidates, Mnangagwa stated: “We now have the knowledge on who did it. We want the current electoral processes to pass then we will deal with that matter.” These statements, however, have not been followed by any public announcements of arrests or prosecutions.
This year, in July, President Mnangagwa ordered a comprehensive review of several security breaches targeting him and his family, including the reopening of the stalled White City Stadium investigation.
The White City Stadium attack, which resulted in the deaths of two Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agents and injuries to 47 others, including Vice President Kembo Mohadi and Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri, remains a significant event in Zimbabwean political history. Witnesses reported that the grenade, thrown at the VIP tent as Mnangagwa left the stage, narrowly missed the president, ricocheting off a tent mounting before changing direction.
Adding to the president’s concerns are a series of recent incidents, including a laser attack on his aircraft on July 12th as it approached Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, returning from Mozambique. Days earlier, there were break-ins at the private homes of the president and his son, Deputy Finance Minister David Mnangagwa, and the government office of his nephew, Deputy Tourism Minister Tongai Mnangagwa.
A March bomb scare at Victoria Falls International Airport, forcing Mnangagwa to abort landing due to an emailed threat from someone identifying themselves as “John Doe,” further heightened security concerns. A South African man found with bullets in his backpack was arrested following the Victoria Falls incident but later released due to a lack of evidence linking him to the threat.
The police also published the image in the state-run Chronicle newspaper, claiming the man was being sought by a desperate relative. The man was identified as a potential suspect after investigators reviewed hours of video footage from different news organisations, allegedly showing him changing his clothing.
