'Mnangagwa allies' plot to burn Mlala's offices foiled'

Deputy chairperson of a rebel war veterans' faction, George Mlala, yesterday claimed that a plot to burn his offices in the central business district by his opponents was foiled at the weekend.

Mlala, together with his boss Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene, have been leading calls for War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube's expulsion following his recent proclamation that President Robert Mugabe should name a successor.

The two have also organised provincial demonstrations nationwide against Dube, with two such events having already been conducted in Bulawayo and Harare.

"We heard they wanted to burn my office on Saturday night but the plot fell through after it was exposed. I understand there were plans to burn my office," Mlala said.

This comes after Bulawayo has lately been turned into a war zone with the ruling party's offices at Davies Hall becoming the flashpoint of ruling party unrest.

In May, there were violent clashes during a provincial coordinating committee in a move that left one of the youth leaders hospitalised.