Bad news for Mnangagwa faction

Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, has reportedly started to fully recover from his health woes at a top notch Beijing military hospital and is bouncing back, Spotlight Zimbabwe, has been told.

A senior aide in the VP's office who was recently with him here in Pretoria, before his transfer, has for the first time revealed Chiwenga's true state of health, which is in sharp contrast to what President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been telling the nation, further revealing that government is not on top of developments in China and could have been slapped with an information blackout by the military, and only receiving general censored updates of Chiwenga's health, for security and political reasons.

We reported last month that Chiwenga was being treated at The General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (PLAGH) in the Chinese capital, and that China's medical experts had found an antidote for Chiwenga, who is suspected to have suffered multiple poisoning attacks through food and his home water supply, from his nemesis in the ruling Zanu-PF angling for his job.

The institution attending to the VP has provided health and medical care to the leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, the PLA's general headquarters, and to the troops stationed in Beijing.

Chiwenga's recovery news is certain to send shivers running down the spine of Mnangagwa's inner circle, who are said to have been anticipating the former Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander becoming incapacitated and eventually having to be relieved of his top post on health grounds. It is also not sweet music in the ears of Zanu-PF heavyweights, who had started jostling for Chiwenga's position, after prematurely popping political champagne bottles hoping for his demise.

Media reports last week indicated that the vice president's health troubles had ignited a scramble for his presidium seat, with current defence minister and ruling party national chairperson, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri emerging as a front-runner. Information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, was also named among contenders of the post, and thought to be formidable because of her husband, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, who also has ties to China, where he was Zimbabwe's Ambassador for six years between December 2002 to December 2006.

Another political couple, that was said to be eying the second highest post in the land by Zanu-PF insiders from the shadows, are the Moyo family, of foreign affairs minister, Sibusiso Busi Moyo and his wife Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, who was promoted by Mnangagwa in May to become the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). However SB Moyo is believed to belong to Chiwenga's faction, which is fighting for Zanu-PF control with Mnangagwa's faction.

"The vice president is bouncing back soon, as he is fully recovering from treatment," said the VP aide in a telephone interview this week. "He (Chiwenga) does not wish to make his exact nature of treatment and progress known for political and security reason. The information in the public sphere about his health situation from government is incomplete, as he appears to be now out of the woods. China wants to monitor him closely, and he should be coming home at an opportune time."

The VP aide said there has been mystery surronding Chiwenga's illness, and speculation that he was suffering from liver damage to multiple organ failure, because people do not know the true story.