Brighton Chiseva
MASVINGO – While many believe Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to be next in line for presidency after Mnangagwa, former Vice President and Zanu PF second Secretary Kembo Mohadi has, for the second time, claimed to be the next president of Zimbabwe.
Mohadi is alleged to have claimed that he will replace Mnangagwa during his speech at Mnangagwa Farm near Mbungo Estates during the burial of the President’s grandson Yasha Mafidi Mnangagwa who died recently.
Sources who attended the burial revealed that Mohadi said Chiwenga was nowhere near the presidential seat, which the former said he had all it takes to be president after having walked in the exact path Mnangwagwa walked before he became president.
The Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira was the Director of Ceremonies at the funeral and before he introduced Mohadi he reportedly referred to him as an ‘indiscipline comrade’ who the president was always reprimanding.
When he stood up to speak, Mohadi allegedly said Chadzamira had left some important things about him saying he had a number of positive things which he did like the President which makes him a better candidate for the next president.
He said he was imprisoned, released, left the army and joined politics just like Mnangagwa, he was Minister of State Security and Minister of Defence as President Mnangagwa. He also became vice President which he was claiming and that was clear that he was walking in the president’s footsteps
That was not the first Mohadi said he was going to replace Mnangagwa as he once said the same in 2019 during a rally at Rutenga in Mwenezi.
Asked to introduce President Mnangagwa before thousands of Zanu PF supporters in Mwenezi in 2019, Mohadi gave a tale of the road travelled by his boss saying there were many parallels to be drawn between their two stories.
“I also travelled the same road as that of President Mnangagwa. I was arrested and stayed in prison till 1980. I came from prison and joined politics full time just like President Mnangagwa.
“The irony of the whole story is that President Mnangagwa became Minister of State Security, I also became Minister of State Security.
“He became Minister of Defence and I also became Minister of Defence. He became Vice President and I also became Vice President so munongoona kuti gwara racho ndiro rimwe.
But I am not going to push him out of it, achandisiira,” said Mohadi then.
Mohadi said President Mnangagwa told him there were some rigors he still needed to go through for him to qualify to be President among them surviving interface rallies, taking poison and border jumping.
“President Mnangagwa says I do not qualify to be President because I have never been poisoned or subjected to nine interface rallies or become a border jumper. I don’t know how I can be a border jumper but I would love to be poisoned and go through interface rallies,” said Mohadi.
In 2016 whilst he was still Minister of Defence, Malawian Prophet Shepard Bushiri allegedly prophesied that Mohadi will be promoted and went on to say he saw a crown on his head.
True to his word Mohadi was promoted to be vice president in 2018.
Efforts to get a comment from party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa were futile as his cell went unanswered several times.
Political analyst Davison Mabweazara Mugodzwa said what Mohadi said did not make sense considering the fact that he was no longer the Vice President.
“I cannot really tell what he was saying, he is no longer vice president I don’t know where he is driving that argument from, it really doesn’t make sense,” said Mugodzwa.
Zanu PF is allegedly divided on factional lines with two camps led by Mnangagwa and his deputy Chiwenga and Mohadi has not been placed on either of the two factions as he been low key since his resignation over a sex scandal.
At the recent Zanu PF national congress in Harare, Chiwenga allegedly endured another blow after the reinforcement of Mnangagwa’s candidature in next year’s election by all and sundry in the party.
