Mnangagwa turns 70

Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa turned 70 yesterday, he was born 15 September 1946. There was no big bash reported on the birthday celebrations.

Mnangagwa has been Vice-President of Zimbabwe since 2014. He was Minister of State Security from 1980 to 1988, Minister of Justice from 1988 to 2000, Speaker of Parliament from 2000 to 2005, Minister of Rural Housing from 2005 to 2009, Minister of Defense from 2009 to 2013, and has served as Minister of Justice since 2013.

Mnangagwa is thought to be one of the most powerful figures in the ruling Zanu-PF party, head of the Joint Operations Command and a leading candidate to succeed Robert Mugabe. He was Zanu-PF's Secretary of Administration from July 2000 to December 2004 and became its Secretary for Legal Affairs in December 2004.

On 10 December 2014, President Mugabe appointed Mnangagwa as Vice-President of Zimbabwe. In that post, Mnangagwa also continued to serve as Minister of Justice.

He has lately been coming across as the reformist in Zanu PF with promises of curbing corruption and other vices that are drawing Zimbabwe back. His achilles heal remains Gukurahundi. He habours presidential ambitions, yet he denies when confronted. Mugabe also wants to run again in 2018. By then Mnangagwa will be turning 72. Assuming Mugabe does run in 2018 and wants to serve out 5 years Mnangagwa will be 77 when Mugabe will constitutionally enable to continue.