'Mnangagwa surviving on Mugabe's charity'

Despite the widespread belief that VP Emmerson Mnangagwa is a powerful man in Zanu-PF, he is, like others in the party, surviving solely on President Robert Mugabe's benevolence according to a local think tank.

The Zimbabwe Democracy Institute said Mnangagwa would also depend on the goodwill of Mugabe if he was to ever become Zimbabwe's next leaders.

"The think tank in its report titled "Complexities around Zanu succession: State and party constitutions", said Mnangagwa's ruling party foes also controlled critical party structures working against his interest.

The report points out that due to the concentration of power in both Zanu-PF and the country in Mugabe's hands, Mnangagwa had a significant disadvantage as he did not possess the necessary powers to consolidate his authority.