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Mugabe 'wept for Chiwenga' after 2017 coup
6 hrs ago |
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Former President Robert Mugabe reportedly harboured no ill will toward then-military commander Constantino Chiwenga after the 2017 military intervention that ended his long rule, according to exiled politician Jealousy Mawarire.
Mawarire, a former spokesperson of the now-defunct National Patriotic Front, said Mugabe was deeply emotional and even "wept" when Chiwenga later fell seriously ill months after the transition.
He claimed Mugabe was distressed by reports circulating at the time suggesting that Chiwenga's condition was terminal while the former army chief was receiving treatment abroad for an oesophageal illness.
"President Mugabe was devastated… the old man, sick as he was, wept and shed tears for the man he believed was not supposed to die," Mawarire said.
Following the events of November 2017, when the military intervention led to Mugabe's resignation, Chiwenga spent several months in China undergoing treatment for what he later described as idiopathic oesophageal stricture.
Despite his removal from power, Mugabe later made a political break with his former allies ahead of the 2018 elections, publicly backing opposition leader Nelson Chamisa against his successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mawarire said Mugabe still viewed Chiwenga as a key figure in Zimbabwe's governance trajectory, describing him as a leader with an important role to play in the country's future.
"In his own words, the old man said, ‘Gen Chiwenga cannot die now; he has a huge part to play for the good of this country,'" he said.
He added that Mugabe's reaction reflected personal respect, describing Chiwenga as "a comrade, an in-law, a good human being, and a fellow Zimbabwean."
Mawarire said he believed Chiwenga's recovery was widely welcomed by those who had prayed for him, suggesting that his survival carried broader symbolic meaning for Zimbabwe's political landscape.
The remarks add a personal dimension to the complex post-2017 political dynamics between Mugabe, the military establishment, and the current leadership structure that emerged after his removal.
Mawarire, a former spokesperson of the now-defunct National Patriotic Front, said Mugabe was deeply emotional and even "wept" when Chiwenga later fell seriously ill months after the transition.
He claimed Mugabe was distressed by reports circulating at the time suggesting that Chiwenga's condition was terminal while the former army chief was receiving treatment abroad for an oesophageal illness.
"President Mugabe was devastated… the old man, sick as he was, wept and shed tears for the man he believed was not supposed to die," Mawarire said.
Following the events of November 2017, when the military intervention led to Mugabe's resignation, Chiwenga spent several months in China undergoing treatment for what he later described as idiopathic oesophageal stricture.
Despite his removal from power, Mugabe later made a political break with his former allies ahead of the 2018 elections, publicly backing opposition leader Nelson Chamisa against his successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mawarire said Mugabe still viewed Chiwenga as a key figure in Zimbabwe's governance trajectory, describing him as a leader with an important role to play in the country's future.
"In his own words, the old man said, ‘Gen Chiwenga cannot die now; he has a huge part to play for the good of this country,'" he said.
He added that Mugabe's reaction reflected personal respect, describing Chiwenga as "a comrade, an in-law, a good human being, and a fellow Zimbabwean."
Mawarire said he believed Chiwenga's recovery was widely welcomed by those who had prayed for him, suggesting that his survival carried broader symbolic meaning for Zimbabwe's political landscape.
The remarks add a personal dimension to the complex post-2017 political dynamics between Mugabe, the military establishment, and the current leadership structure that emerged after his removal.
Source - newzimbabwe
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