'Mnangagwa is world's best spy operative,' claims Mutsvangwa

Zanu-PF politburo member, Christopher Mutsvangwa says President Emmerson Mnangagwa is arguably one of the best intelligence officers ever to come out of Zimbabwe, while the country's spy agency service is ranked among the top globally.

Mutsvangwa, who is a close ally of the president and husband to Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, was speaking during Wednesday's Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial coordinating committee (PCC) meeting held in Chinhoyi.

His statements come amid growing fears that Mnangagwa's rivals in the party are burning the midnight oil plotting to dethrone him.

Mnangagwa, he claimed, is constantly appraised of what happens across the country by the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives, hence no plotting against him will succeed.

"The president is aware of what happens on the ground, even if he keeps quiet it doesn't mean he doesn't know what you are doing on the ground. He is the best intelligence officer himself, which has made Zimbabwe one of the best in the world with many countries and organisations seeking the country's intelligence services, including the United Nations (UN)," Mutsvangwa said.

"Most intelligence assignments from the 80's, in and outside the country, were superintended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa," he said.

To buttress his assertion, the former presidential advisor said secret service operatives deployed from Zimbabwe were responsible for the demise of Angolan rebel leader, Jonas Malheiro Savimbi.

Savimbi, a revolutionary politician and rebel military leader founded and led the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and was assassinated on February 22, 2002.

CIO agents also orchestrated the successful execution of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) war, Mutsvangwa further claimed.

"Right now in this meeting, we have members of the CIO who are here on behalf of the president so don't think you can do anything which the president will not be aware of," he said.

Mutsvangwa said Mnangagwa's recent visit to United Kingdom for the Climate Change Conference, COP26 Summit, was a major victory for the people of Zimbabwe.

"He is doing a lot to ensure we are part of the global world again, and after 25 years his visit to the COP26 Summit was a major victory for the country which had been isolated for long. Our President is working very hard that we become part of the global village again."

The bootlicking by Mutsvangwa comes a few days after former opposition MDC-T president, Thokozani Khupe, heaped praises on Mnangagwa saying he was the "wisest" citizen in the country for implementing supposed favourable policies that were making people happy.