Zimbabwe’s army chief has warned those responsible for “purging” the country’s ruling Zanu-PF party to stop, or the military will step in. The rare intervention comes just a week after President Robert Mugabe sacked his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa.
General Constantino Chiwenga, who appeared at a news conference with another 90 senior army officers, did not refer to anyone by name but is believed to be referring to President Mugabe. Mr Mnangagwa, once seen as a successor to Mr Mugabe, has fled into exile.
According to the BBC, Mugabe’s wife, Grace, who is now the favourite to succeed her husband, referred to Mr Mnangagwa as a snake which “must be hit on the head”. Mr Mnangagwa, nicknamed the “crocodile” because of his perceived shrewdness, has rebuked Mugabe, saying Zanu-PF is “not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please”. Speaking at the army’s headquarters, General Chiwenga said the removal of people who were involved in the independence struggle, like Mr Mnangagwa, would not be tolerated.
The crisis, he concluded, meant Zimbabwe was struggling with “cash shortages and rising commodity prices”.