‘Coup’ talk fills social media streets
There is talk of a coup loading and an anti-President Emmerson Mnangagwa march today (Friday).
A seven-page document, allegedly written by Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga and presented to the ruling party’s supreme body, the politburo, has been leaked to the media as if to hype the masses and force them into action or at least get them on the VP’s side.
In the document, the General, as Chiwenga is commonly called on social media (he is the former army commander), accuses businessman and Mnangagwa’s ally, Kudakwashe Tagwirei of looting more than $1.9 billion from public funds through the Ministry of Finance.
He also named controversial businessmen, Wicknell Chivayo, Scott Sakupwanya and Delish Nguwaya as other beneficiaries of what he called a coordinated looting network.
The four are close associates of the President and according to Chiwenga, they are funding the 2030 agenda, a campaign aimed at extending Mnangagwa’s stay in power beyond the constitutional term which ends in 2028.
“The time for silence and inaction is over. We cannot fold our hands while these criminals steal from our state coffers and use the same resources to corrupt our party and destroy the revolution,’’ read part of the leaked dossier.
Chiwenga, 69, also warned that the group had turned the President’s private office into a parallel centre of government decision making, the same issues that were raised during the late Robert Mugabe’s era that eventually led to his downfall.
This direct attack of the President and open call for action has been viewed by many as a sign that the former army chief is ready, if the need arises, to lead another coup, just like he did in 2017.
Social media is also awash with such talk, with some saying they will support the coup just like they did in the past. Others, however, say they have learnt to never support any politician associated with the ruling party.
“In 2017 we removed ZanuPF and replaced it with ZanuPF, look at where we are now, we should never repeat that same mistake. I would rather watch from the terraces than to endorse one of these people,” wrote Zanele Sibanda on X.
Opposition figure, Nelson Chamisa has also said he will not be part of the people who support the ZanuPF vs ZanuPF fight this time around.
In 2017, him and his late former boss, Morgan Tsvangirai, endorsed and supported the coup.
He wrote on X, “A lasting solution starts with truth, ignoring the 2023 stolen election is ignoring the root of our crisis. Anything that does not address the 2023 stolen election is fraud and waste of time. Corruption, capture, suffering – they’re symptoms of a disputed mandate and a contested government.”
Chamisa, who was a presidential candidate with the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), believes he won the 2023 elections.
