Mnangagwa’s links to the military and ruling party go back decades. He joined the fight against white minority rule in what was then Rhodesia while still a teen in the 1960s.
In 1963, he received military training in Egypt and China.
As one of the earliest guerrilla fighters he was captured, tortured and convicted of blowing up a locomotive in 1965.
Sentenced to death by hanging, he was found to be under 21 and his punishment was commuted to 10 years in prison.
He was jailed with other prominent nationalists including Mugabe. While imprisoned, Mnangagwa studied through correspondence courses.
After his release in 1975 he went to Zambia, where he completed a law degree and started practicing.
Soon he went to newly independent Marxist Mozambique, where he became Mugabe’s assistant and bodyguard.
In 1979, he accompanied Mugabe to the talks in London that led to the birth of Zimbabwe.
“Our relationship has over the years blossomed beyond that of master and servant to father and son,” Mnangagwa wrote this month of his relationship with Mugabe.
When Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, Mnangagwa was appointed minister of security. He directed the merger of the Rhodesian army with Mugabe’s guerrilla forces and the forces of rival nationalist leader Joshua Nkomo.
In 1983, Mugabe launched a brutal campaign against Nkomo’s supporters that became known as the Matabeleland massacres for the deaths of 10 000 to 20 000 Ndebele people in Zimbabwe’s southern provinces. Mnangagwa was widely blamed for planning the deadly campaign of the army’s North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade.
Mnangagwa denies it. He also is reputed to have amassed a considerable fortune. He was named in a United Nations investigation into exploitation of mineral resources in Congo and has been active in making Harare a significant diamond trading centre.
In 2008, Mnangagwa was Mugabe’s agent in an election marked by violence and allegations of vote-rigging, leading him to be placed under US sanctions that continue to this day.
He also helped broker the creation of a short-lived coalition government that brought in opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister.
In recent years, Mnangagwa promoted himself as an experienced leader who would bring stability to Zimbabwe. Despite his bloody past, “some people see redeeming features in Mnangagwa,” said Tichaona Zindoga, political editor of the state-run Herald newspaper.
“He is seen as business-oriented, which may help him improve the economy.” However, Zindoga added, “politically his ties to Zanu-PF cannot be wished away. And the events of the past two weeks mean that he is ingratiated to the military.”
Mnangagwa’s links to the military and ruling party go back decades. He joined the fight against white minority rule in what was then Rhodesia while still a teen in the 1960s.
In 1963, he received military training in Egypt and China.
As one of the earliest guerrilla fighters he was captured, tortured and convicted of blowing up a locomotive in 1965.
Sentenced to death by hanging, he was found to be under 21 and his punishment was commuted to 10 years in prison.
He was jailed with other prominent nationalists including Mugabe. While imprisoned, Mnangagwa studied through correspondence courses.
After his release in 1975 he went to Zambia, where he completed a law degree and started practicing.
Soon he went to newly independent Marxist Mozambique, where he became Mugabe’s assistant and bodyguard.
In 1979, he accompanied Mugabe to the talks in London that led to the birth of Zimbabwe.
“Our relationship has over the years blossomed beyond that of master and servant to father and son,” Mnangagwa wrote this month of his relationship with Mugabe. – Associated Press
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