Mnangagwa hands over 700 vehicles for army chiefs

Facing rising unease within Zanu-PF, President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday handed over 102 vehicles to senior army commanders, a move observers interpret as an effort to secure loyalty and protect his administration from potential threats of a coup.

According to the information ministry, the vehicles are intended to "bridge a significant gap in the conditions of service for senior army officers, ensuring they receive their entitled benefits, including vehicles, ultimately enhancing their welfare and operational effectiveness within the Zimbabwe Defence Forces."

Photographs released by the ministry showed Mnangagwa presenting keys to a line of off-road trucks at the Zimbabwe National Army Msasa Logistics Garrison Depot in Harare, smiling as he addressed the gathering.

"The vehicles I'm commissioning today are under the first phase of a comprehensive programme that will see the government procuring vehicles, inclusive of buses, towards enhancing mobility across the rank and file of the ZDF," Mnangagwa said.

Presidency spokesman George Charamba noted that the ZDF will eventually receive over 700 vehicles, marking the first time such a large consignment has been delivered within a short period.

Critics, however, questioned the timing, citing Mnangagwa's sidelining of party secretary general Obert Mpofu and escalating tensions with his deputy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

"This is classic coup-proofing," a Harare political analyst told ZimLive. "Mnangagwa knows his position is shaky, and in Zimbabwe the army remains the ultimate arbiter of political power. Giving generals expensive perks is a way of buying their loyalty at a time when the succession battle is heating up."

The military's influence in Zimbabwean politics remains pivotal. It was the army that intervened in 2017 to remove Robert Mugabe, paving the way for Mnangagwa's ascendancy with Chiwenga's support.

In recent weeks, millionaire Zanu-PF figures Kudakwashe Tagwirei and Wicknell Chivayo have reportedly provided over 300 vehicles to party central committee members and provincial chairpersons. The Ministry of Defence and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces have not disclosed the vehicles' cost, though Chivayo is known to have a million-dollar procurement deal with the military.