ZIMBABWE: Grace Mugabe warns of likely coup amid growing tension for her husband’s successor

Grace Mugabe, the controversial wife of Africa’s oldest serving leader, Robert Mugabe has raised an alarm over a possible coup as allies of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa threaten the lives of those who don’t support him to replace her husband.

Reports say Grace Mugabe departed from a prepared speech at an event in Harare to attack Mr Mnangagwa.

“We are being threatened night and day that if a particular person does not become president we will be killed,” she said.

“We will not bow to that pressure. They say there will be a coup, but no-one will recognise you. The African Union will not recognise you, the SADC [Southern African Development Community] will not.”

Mrs Mugabe herself and Mr Mnangagwa are the front-runners and their rivalry has split the governing Zanu-PF amid growing tensions in the fight to succeed her husband.

Read also: Grace Mugabe poised to take over from her husband

According to reports, the row comes after Mr Mnangagwa claimed that he was poisoned in August with his supporters suggesting that rivals within Zanu-PF were responsible, although Mr Mnangagwa has distanced himself from such claims.

Grace has gradually been preparing grounds for take-over for two years now when she first appeared as a contender for the top job after she became head of her husband’s party Zanu-PF’s Women’s League.

After mounting the saddle as head of her husband’s party, Grace has since been slowly removing any real challengers in her quest to take-over from her tyrant husband who has been President of Zimbabwe since the country gained independence.

The possibility of Grace succeeding her husband has sent fear down the spines of many who are alarmed that an even bigger despot could take over from Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s president.

 

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now