Mnangagwa orders reopening of White City bomb probe

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ordered a consolidated investigation into criminal incidents targeting his family, including re-opening the stalled investigation into a grenade attack that almost killed him at White City Stadium in 2018.

Mnangagwa, who is in his second and final term as president, is increasingly concerned for his security after a string of security breaches, some involving his family.

The 81-year-old has instructed police chief Godwin Matanga to account for the suspects, fearing the incidents are related.

A source briefed on the developments said: "He wants answers from the security arms of the state, starting with unravelling what happened at White City."

On Tuesday, police released a picture of a man they suspect to have been involved in the grenade attack, but deceptively claimed he was wanted for fraud involving US$300,000. A reward of US$10,000 is being offered for positive identification.

The man's picture, ZimLive can reveal, was distributed to all police stations in 2018 and 2019 but he was never positively identified. Police also got the image published in the state-run Chronicle newspaper, claiming the man was being sought by a desperate relative.

The man was identified as a potential suspect after investigators reviewed hours of video footage from different news organisations which allegedly showed the man changing clothing, including his cap and T-Shirt.

Mnangagwa previously said he knew who was behind the attack, which killed two Central Intelligence Organisation agents and wounded 47 others, including vice president Kembo Mohadi and defence minister Oppah Muchinguri.

The grenade was lobbed at the VIP tent as Mnangagwa exited the stage to leave the stadium. It would have landed within a meter of Mnangagwa but ricocheted off a tent mounting and changed direction, witnesses claimed.

On July 12 this year, police launched an investigation after Mnangagwa's plane flying him home from Mozambique was targeted by someone using lasers to blind pilots on approach to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

The incident came just days after bizarre break-ins at the private homes of the president and his son, deputy finance minister David Mnangagwa, and the government office of his nephew, deputy tourism minister Tongai Mnangagwa.

In March, Mnangagwa sacked air force chief Elson Moyo after he was forced to abort landing at Victoria Falls International Airport because of an emailed bomb scare by someone signing off as "John Doe."

In a subsequent investigation, police arrested a South African man found with bullets in his backpack but he was released after no link with the email threat could be established.

Now an increasingly paranoid Mnangagwa wants a special task force established to look into all the incidents in order to establish if there is a link.

The assignment, ZimLive understands, has been given to detectives from Harare Central Police Station's Law and Order section who will coordinate with other agencies in the hunt for suspects.