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Deputy President Constantino Chiwenga's wife, Colonel Minyothabo Baloyi, has been drawn into the ruling Zanu-PF's widening succession rift, with former legislator Temba Mliswa accusing her of abusing her military role to advance her husband's political ambitions.
Mliswa, who has recently intensified his criticism of Chiwenga, alleged that Baloyi, a senior officer in the Military Intelligence Department (MID), was "running a parallel structure" within the security establishment and undermining President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
"We have the wife of the Vice President, who is part of the army's intelligence unit, MID. That being the case, she certainly has the interests of her husband, who is eager to become the president," Mliswa claimed.
His comments follow a power outage during President Mnangagwa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the new Parliament Building, which forced the Head of State to complete his speech under torchlight. Mliswa alleged that the incident was an act of sabotage orchestrated by Chiwenga's camp.
"She is running a parallel structure, and it's important that the President knows," Mliswa said. "The commander of MID does not tolerate her, yet she still operates independently. You cannot have a parallel structure from a security perspective."
Baloyi, who has largely stayed out of public political discourse, has gained popularity for her philanthropic activities and quiet public persona. She has never publicly declared any political ambitions.
Mliswa further argued that Baloyi's continued service in the military while being married to the Vice President represents a conflict of interest.
"She cannot be in office as the wife of the Vice President. When people see her, they see him. How do you expect them not to take instructions from her?" he said.
The remarks come amid deepening factional divisions in Zanu-PF, with loyalists of President Mnangagwa reportedly pushing for a constitutional amendment to extend his tenure beyond 2028, while others - allegedly aligned with Chiwenga - oppose the move.
Mliswa, who has recently intensified his criticism of Chiwenga, alleged that Baloyi, a senior officer in the Military Intelligence Department (MID), was "running a parallel structure" within the security establishment and undermining President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
"We have the wife of the Vice President, who is part of the army's intelligence unit, MID. That being the case, she certainly has the interests of her husband, who is eager to become the president," Mliswa claimed.
His comments follow a power outage during President Mnangagwa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the new Parliament Building, which forced the Head of State to complete his speech under torchlight. Mliswa alleged that the incident was an act of sabotage orchestrated by Chiwenga's camp.
"She is running a parallel structure, and it's important that the President knows," Mliswa said. "The commander of MID does not tolerate her, yet she still operates independently. You cannot have a parallel structure from a security perspective."
Baloyi, who has largely stayed out of public political discourse, has gained popularity for her philanthropic activities and quiet public persona. She has never publicly declared any political ambitions.
Mliswa further argued that Baloyi's continued service in the military while being married to the Vice President represents a conflict of interest.
"She cannot be in office as the wife of the Vice President. When people see her, they see him. How do you expect them not to take instructions from her?" he said.
The remarks come amid deepening factional divisions in Zanu-PF, with loyalists of President Mnangagwa reportedly pushing for a constitutional amendment to extend his tenure beyond 2028, while others - allegedly aligned with Chiwenga - oppose the move.
Source - NewZimbabwe
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