Mnangagwa Loses Key ZANU PF Allies
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly lost the support of some of his key allies in ZANU PF including Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo who have stood with him for decades through thick and thin.
Political observers believe Mnangagwa might be isolated at the December Congress as he has sidelined his old allies in favour of new faces.
Mnangagwa and his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, are allegedly involved in a latent battle for the control of the ruling party ahead of the December congress and subsequently the 2023 elections.
July Moyo and former State Security minister Owen Ncube are reported to be among senior ZANU PF officials who are no longer loyal to Mnangagwa.
Moyo, who is the ZANU PF secretary for transport and welfare, reportedly played a key role ahead of the November 2017 military coup that ousted the then president Robert Mugabe.
He is also believed to have been supporting Ncube, who was fired from Cabinet by Mnangagwa due to “behaviour inconsistent with the ministerial office”.
Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa (Independent) has consistently accused Moyo of working against Mnangagwa.
The NewsHawks reported a source as saying Moyo is not happy with the manner in which Mnangagwa was aligning with other people of late and pushing his “real people” away. Said a NewsHawks source:
He has been with Mnangagwa for a long and fought many of his battles in the ’90s when he was trying to be the party chairman, in 2004 when he was vying for the party vice-president’s post way until 2014 when he finally became vice-president and ahead of the 2017 military coup. He felt he did a lot but got little reward.
Other ZANU PF bigwigs who are reportedly unhappy with Mnangagwa are ZANU PF secretary for Finance Patrick Chinamasa and secretary for administration Obert Mpofu who were overlooked for Cabinet appointments and were shunted to the ZANU PF headquarters.
Meanwhile, Ncube is reported to be still asking why he was blocked from contesting for the post of provincial chairperson and subsequently fired from his cabinet post.
