Zimbabwe's new VP survives an assassination attempt

Photo: New Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace talk with vice president-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa after the announcement of his appointment. 

 

A plot to assassinate vice president-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa suffered a still-birth on Tuesday but left his personal assistant fighting for her life in hospital as the country’s dirty succession struggle took a nasty turn.

The assassination bid was revealed by President Robert Mugabe at the Zanu PF extraordinary Central Committee meeting in Harare last Wednesday where Mnangagwa was confirmed as the country’s first vice president.

 Insiders privy to the developments said cyanide had been used in the bid to eliminate Mnangagwa who has, for long, battled former vice president Joice Mujuru to be in pole position to succeed Mugabe.
 
Mujuru’s prospects effectively collapsed after she was sacked as vice president on Tuesday and also reduced to an ordinary card-carrying member of Zanu PF. It was claimed that the poison was sprayed in the justice minister office overnight Tuesday in the hope he would walk in Wednesday morning and inhale the substance.
 
However, the minister’s personal assistant got into the office first and is now battling for her life at Harare’s Parirenyatwa Hospital.

Unconfirmed reports suggested police had cordoned off Mnangagwa’s office Wednesday evening as part of investigations into the alleged assassination attempt.