mnangagwa the ruthless crocodile now ruling zimbabwe
Monday 24 February 2025
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Mnangagwa: the ruthless 'Crocodile' now ruling Zimbabwe

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Mnangagwa: the ruthless 'Crocodile' now ruling Zimbabwe

Mnangagwa's rise to the top comes after decades of experience under Mugabe
Harare - Arab Today

Nicknamed "the Crocodile" for his ruthlessness, Emmerson Mnangagwa who took over Friday as Zimbabwe's president, is a hardliner with ties to the military who could prove as authoritarian as his mentor Robert Mugabe.

It was his driving ambition to take over as leader which set off a bitter succession battle with Mugabe's 52-year-old wife Grace, triggering the crisis that toppled the long-serving president, who resigned on Tuesday.
When Mnangagwa was dismissed as vice president by Mugabe on November 6, it initially looked like he'd been outfoxed by the first lady, forcing him to flee the country.

But the situation quickly turned on its head, with his dismissal triggering a military takeover and mass street protests, which ended with Mugabe's ouster and Mnangagwa catapulted to centre stage.

With the nation still reeling from Mugabe's lightning demise, the 75-year-old made a triumphant return home on Wednesday and was sworn in as president on Friday.

- Climax of long feud -

A former close Mugabe ally, Mnangagwa's initial fall from grace appears to have been engineered by the first lady, who lobbied her husband to back her own political ambitions.

It was the climax of a long feud between the pair over who would replace the ailing and increasingly frail 93-year-old leader.

But Mnangagwa's dismissal alarmed the army, with the generals quickly moving in, staging a military takeover which brought him down within days.

Mnangagwa's rise to the top comes after decades of experience under Mugabe since Zimbabwe won independence from Britain in 1980.

In the early days, Mugabe appointed Mnangagwa, a young trainee lawyer, as Zimbabwe's first minister for national security.

After that, he held a host of different cabinet positions -- but relations between him and his political mentor were not always easy, and the younger man was no stranger to presidential purges.

In 2004, he lost his post as administrative secretary in the ruling ZANU-PF after being accused of openly angling for the post of vice president.

- Violence and intimidation -

But it was during the 2008 election that his fortunes really began to change, when he was serving as head of Mugabe's election campaign.

Mugabe lost the first round vote, and Mnangagwa allegedly supervised the wave of violence and intimidation that forced the opposition to pull out of the run-off vote.

In the same year, he took over as head of the Joint Operations Command, a committee of security chiefs which was accused by rights groups of organising violence to crush dissent.

He was targeted by EU and US sanctions imposed on Mugabe and his close allies over the elections and the ensuing violence but was promptly handed control of the powerful defence ministry.

- A young fighter -

Born in the southwestern Zvishavane district on September 15, 1942, Mnangagwa completed his early education in Zimbabwe before his family relocated to neighbouring Zambia.

His grandfather was a traditional leader and his father a political agitator for the repeal of colonial laws that disadvantaged blacks.

In 1966, Mnangagwa joined the struggle for independence from Britain, becoming one of the young combatants who helped direct the war after undergoing training in China and Egypt.

He was arrested and sentenced to death but his sentence was later commuted to 10 years in prison because of his young age.

After independence in 1980, he directed a brutal crackdown on opposition supporters that claimed thousands of lives in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.

The Gukurahundi massacres remain the biggest scar on his reputation among many Zimbabweans.

He once remarked that he had been taught to "destroy and kill" -- although he later claimed to be a born-again Christian.

Source:AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

mnangagwa the ruthless crocodile now ruling zimbabwe mnangagwa the ruthless crocodile now ruling zimbabwe

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

mnangagwa the ruthless crocodile now ruling zimbabwe mnangagwa the ruthless crocodile now ruling zimbabwe

 



GMT 18:03 2016 Sunday ,11 September

Low interest rates are a drag on US bank profits

GMT 10:11 2017 Thursday ,07 December

US lawmakers deny Democrat's bid to impeach Trump

GMT 12:58 2017 Sunday ,15 January

US 'hostility' grows despite nuclear deal

GMT 09:34 2017 Thursday ,19 October

Croatia court orders arrest of retail giant boss

GMT 22:40 2018 Friday ,05 January

Education Minister attends workshop

GMT 16:33 2012 Wednesday ,15 February

Second generation coupe

GMT 12:50 2017 Wednesday ,25 October

Irish star Zebo risks Test future over Racing move

GMT 03:32 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

Sisi vows forceful response after mosque massacre

GMT 12:24 2017 Thursday ,02 February

Egyptians overjoyed by reaching AFCON 2017 final

GMT 19:58 2017 Saturday ,01 April

Lebanese Army Reports New Israeli Breach

GMT 21:24 2017 Thursday ,16 February

S. Korea's ICT Exports Increase in January

GMT 18:42 2017 Sunday ,08 October

Nasr heads for US Wednesday for World Bank meetings

GMT 04:31 2017 Monday ,25 September

Russian general killed fighting IS in east Syria

GMT 08:25 2018 Monday ,10 December

Ardern apologizes to parents of slain backpacker

GMT 14:17 2018 Tuesday ,18 September

Syria welcomes agreement on Idleb announced in Sochi

GMT 12:47 2018 Saturday ,13 January

Cabinet meets in ordinary session

GMT 08:54 2015 Sunday ,13 December

'Youth' dominates European Film Academy awards
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday