What a contrast; just two months after Emmerson Mnangagwa was in hiding in South Africa, in fear of his life while battle tanks rumbled through his capital, he is going to walk, chin-up, into the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,  on  Monday  with a new investment brochure under his arm in the hope of persuading the world to pour hard currency into what is left of his economy. The document, in the possession of CNBC Africa, promises much, but bears little close scrutiny.
Zimbabwe has suffered an economic meltdown over the last 15 years and struggles on with crumbling infrastructure and no currency to call its own. Confidence fell during the dwindling economic fortunes  in the painful last years of President Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule hastened by a military takeover.
The canny crocodile – his nom de guerre from the liberation war– was being forced out by Mugabe. Now he has a new lease on life and knows that his survival <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/2018/01/18/zimbabwes-mnangagwa-says-hold-elections-four-five-months/">past the elections this year</a> hinges upon reviving the economy and putting money back into the pockets of an increasingly restive population.
The investment document is well intentioned and gets off on the right foot. It promises reform to become more attractive to foreign investors with the streamlining of legal frameworks, respect for bilateral trade agreements. There is also a promise of good governance and compensation when it all goes wrong.
It falls down a bit with an ambiguous line dealing with the protection of property.
“The government commits to the protection of all investments from expropriation, or from measures taken that will have a similar effect, except for a public purpose…”
What exactly a “public purpose” means in this document is open to debate. Does it mean that when the public – or the government on their behalf – needs property, it can take it? Wasn’t that the justification for the disastrous land seizures from commercial farmers that began in 2000? The investment document also promises investors: “adequate and effective compensation”.  Unlikely, to say the least, from a cash-strapped Treasury in a country where foreign currency is rationed.
Yet the document persists with a promise to compensate farmers in Zimbabwe who lost their land and is considering setting up a tribunal to determine how much should be paid. The farmers, a number of whom were chased off their land by armed mobs, are likely to be sceptical. Many voters who supported the land seizures are likely to be flummoxed.
The document for Davos also promises to drop the infamous indigenisation requirement, that is 51% ownership by Zimbabweans, that has discouraged many investors. Yet, it says this unpopular requirement will remain for diamonds and platinum two of the big earning minerals. It says the ministry will be charged with drawing up a new bill and regulations to govern diamonds and platinum. How long that takes is not written in the document, but the longer it takes to create certainty the more likely investors are likely to look elsewhere.
Mnangagwa maybe needs to be a little bolder and clearer if he is to win back foreign investors. His predecessor and former mentor Mugabe will be remembered for ushering a once robust economy into steep economic decline. Maybe Mnangagwa needs to work fast to stand a chance of being celebrated for doing the opposite by showing the world that when it comes to business the crocodile has teeth.

What Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is offering investors at WEF Davos  

Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party has fired from parliament 11 allies of former leader Robert Mugabe, as President Emmerson Mnangagwa continues a purge of officials that publicly supported his old boss and wife Grace.
<div id="attachment_291244" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-291244" class="wp-image-291244 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Emmerson-Mnangagwa_GettyImages.png" alt="" width="850" height="565" />Photo: Emmerson Mnangagwa: Getty Images</div>
Mnangagwa came to power in November after 93-year-old Mugabe was forced to resign following a defacto military coup.
Mnangagwa has spoken against retribution but local media reports say a ZANU-PF restructuring process around the country was targeting those who publicly backed Mugabe and Grace, whose tilt at power resulted in the military intervention.
According to a transcript of parliament procedures from Thursday, deputy speaker of parliament Mabel Chinomona said ZANU-PF had notified the house of assembly that the 11 no longer represented its interests, triggering their dismissal.
Some of the legislators were cabinet ministers in Mugabe’s government. In November ZANU-PF fired five top Mugabe allies from parliament, including Jonathan Moyo, a fiercely combative mouthpiece for a faction that backed Grace Mugabe’s rise.
Many of Mugabe’s political allies were either arrested by the military in a series of spectacular raids in the early hours of Nov. 15 or fled to neighboring countries.
In private, Mnangagwa’s allies worry that some of Mugabe’s supporters could regroup and campaign against the new president in elections that will be held in four to five months.
Moyo told Reuters last week that the international community must help remove the “military government” that has taken power or risk the country descending into chaos.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Ed Stoddard and Michael Perry
</div>

Zimbabwe ruling party fires 11 Mugabe allies from parliament

Zimbabwe will hold elections in four to five months, a newspaper on Thursday quoted President Emmerson Mnangagwa as saying, the first time since independence the southern African state will conduct a vote that does not involve former ruler Robert Mugabe.
<div id="attachment_291761" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-291761" class="wp-image-291761 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Zim_Emmerson-Mnangagwa_GettyImages_RZ1.png" alt="" width="850" height="605" />Zimbabwe President, Emmerson Mnangagwa: Getty Image</div>
Mnangagwa, who took over after Mugabe was forced to resign in November following a defacto military coup, was speaking during an official trip to Mozambique, the official Herald newspaper reported.
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN StandardArticleBody_dp-slot-inline_eUPBt" data-ad-type="other"></div>
The international community will be closely watching the vote, which is seen as a litmus test of Mnangagwa’s democratic credentials and is key to unlocking badly needed financial assistance and repairing relations with Western powers and international financial institutions.
“Zimbabwe is going for elections in four to five months’ time and we have to preach peace, peace and peace because we know it is good for us and we have no doubt that we will have peaceful elections,” Mnangagwa was quoted as saying.
“We will ensure that Zimbabwe delivers free, credible, fair and indisputable elections to ensure Zimbabwe engages the world as a qualified democratic state.”
Under the constitution, Zimbabwe should hold elections between July 22 and August 22 but parliament can elect to dissolve itself, triggering an early vote. The ruling ZANU-PF holds a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Since 2000, elections in Zimbabwe have been marred by political violence and disputes, which led to the country becoming an international pariah under Mugabe’s 37-year rule.
The next vote will pit Mnangagwa against the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, whose leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is suffering cancer, a development that has weakened and divided his party.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Nick Macfie
</div>

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa says to hold elections in four to five months

By MacDonald Dzirutwe
HARARE, Jan 9 (Reuters) &#8211; If Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai were to stand down &#8211; as he has hinted &#8211; the party he founded would face immediate instability and could even split, handing a gift to new President Emmerson Mnangagwa in an election this year.
The most visible opposition figure in the southern African nation since independence from Britain in 1980, Tsvangirai said on Monday it was time for the older generation to make way for younger leaders in the party.
Mnangagwa, 75, rose to power last November after Robert Mugabe stood down following a de facto coup, ending a 37-year reign marked by economic mismanagement, corruption and vote rigging allegations.
Investors and Western governments who cheered the end of Mugabe’s rule will be closely watching the election for evidence Mnangagwa can run a free and fair vote and turn a new page in Zimbabwe’s history.
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN DPSlot_inline_1oeo6 in-article-tag">
<div id="dpslot_native_3389361926020673_AFL8N1P42D2" data-google-query-id="CImrkuuhy9gCFYLGUQod4AQEmQ">
<div id="google_ads_iframe_/4735792/africa.reuters.com_2__container__">It was expected that Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would pose a robust challenge to Mnangagwa’s ruling ZANU-PF.</div>
</div>
</div>

But that prospect may now be in jeopardy.
Tsvangirai, who has been battling cancer for several years and looked frail at a meeting with Mnangagwa last week, did not explicitly say he would stand down and his spokesman said he could not comment further.
Tsvangirai, 65, has three deputies, one who was elected and two others he handpicked in 2016 to help him run the party, a move that still irks some MDC members.
The MDC has known division twice before, in 2005 and in 2014 following a heavy election defeat to the ZANU-PF. And, though analysts said it was good in the long term for Tsvangirai to relinquish the MDC leadership after nearly 20 years in charge, the succession had to be handled carefully.
“Behind the scenes, the three party vice presidents are gladiating to take over from Tsvangirai,” said Eldred Masunungure, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe.
“It should be a democratic process and not an autocratic change of power. If Tsvangirai takes that route it will tear the party asunder. It will be a sad day if Tsvangirai’s departure means the death of the MDC.”
“CRITICAL MOMENT”
The MDC has weakened progressively since 2008, when Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the first round of voting.
After opting out of the run-off alleging violence by the army against its supporters, the MDC formed a unity government with ZANU-PF that helped stabilise the economy until Tsvangirai was defeated in a 2013 presidential election by Mugabe.
A senior MDC official said Tsvangirai was still considering whether to call for a special leadership congress or have the party appoint a new presidential candidate who he could help campaign ahead of elections.
“The MDC is at a very critical moment and the issue of transitioning to a new leader has been weighing heavily on president Tsvangirai,” the MDC executive told Reuters, asking for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Tsvangirai, 65, the self-taught son of a bricklayer who worked in a rural mine to support his family, cut his political teeth in the labour movement as a mine foreman, later becoming a top trade unionist.
In 1999 he was elected founding MDC president and built his political career as a one of the only people willing to stand up to Mugabe, making him difficult to replace.
He will have to juggle regional, tribal and gender considerations in looking for a successor.
“Those are salient issues that the MDC cannot run away from,” said Masunungure. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Joe Brock and Richard Balmforth)

Has Zimbabwe’s opposition leader handed President Emmerson Mnangagwa a gift?

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Two former Zimbabwean cabinet ministers who served under ex-president Robert Mugabe have been charged with corruption, their lawyers said on Saturday, the latest sign of a crackdown on officials loyal to Mugabe.
<div class="ArticleBody_body_2ECha" data-reactid="31">
Mugabe, 93, stood down in November after 37 years in power following a de facto military coup, making way for his former deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa to take over.
When the military seized power they arrested key allies of Mugabe and his wife, Grace, who was vying with Mnangagwa to succeed her husband.
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN DPSlot_inline_1oeo6 in-article-tag">Former foreign minister Walter Mzembi and ex-energy minister Samuel Undenge were charged on Friday with “criminal abuse of office”, their lawyers said. They both deny wrongdoing.</div>

Undenge is accused of issuing a $12,650 contract without due tender to a company that did no work, according to a charge sheet seen by Reuters.
Mzembi and Undenge were both granted bail on Saturday, asked to surrender their passports and remanded until Jan. 22 when their cases will be heard.
“We are going to make an application for an exception to the charge because the charges that my client is facing are ridiculous,” Job Sikhala, Mzembi’s lawyer, told reporters outside the court.
Undenge’s lawyer Alex Muchadehama described the case against his client as a “circus”.
Former finance minister Ignatius Chombo is on bail after being charged in November over accusations he tried to defraud the central bank over a decade ago. Chombo denies wrongdoing.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="48">
Reporting by Alfonce Mbizwo; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Ros Russell
</div>
</div>
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN DPSlot_inline_1oeo6">
<div id="dpslot_bizdev_article_center_7037977495571253_AFKBN1EV0C7-OZATP" data-google-query-id="CMD_0Jv-x9gCFewS0wod374Jbw"></div>
</div>

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa closes in on former Zimbabwean ministers

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe’s President <a href="http://cnbc.africa/videos/2017/11/22/explainer-who-is-emmerson-mnangagwa-zimbabwes-next-president/">Emmerson Mnangagwa</a> has ruled out forming a coalition government after visiting opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday.
Zimbabwe is due to hold elections in 2018 in the first big test of Mnangagwa’s legitimacy after he rose to power in November last year following a de facto military coup which saw veteran leader Robert Mugabe reluctantly cede power.
Mnangagwa has previously indicated polls could be held as early as March, and is under pressure from civil society, would-be investors and opposition parties to implement political reforms following Mugabe’s 37-year grip on power.
“Currently there is no need,” Mnangagwa told reporters, referring to the possibility of forming a coalition with Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party and the MDC were partners in a government of national unity for five years until 2013, eventually breaking down as acrimony between the parties re-emerged.
Tsvangirai, who is due to challenge Mnangagwa in national elections, has been receiving treatment for colon cancer since 2016 but says he is in good health.
“He is fine, he is recuperating very well and says he will soon again be having a medical check-up in South Africa,” said Mnangagwa after visiting Tsvangirai at his home.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="46">
Reporting by Alfonce Mbizwo; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Richard Balmforth
</div>

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa rules out coalition government

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-hamill-254226">By James Hamill</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-leicester-1053">University of Leicester</a>
Zimbabwe’s new President <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41995876">Emmerson Mnangagwa</a> has been cautiously welcomed with the hope that he will place Zimbabwe on a <a href="https://theconversation.com/mnangagwa-has-the-capacity-to-focus-on-the-new-zimbabwe-but-will-he-88254">more democratic trajectory</a>. He has spoken of a <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/can-emmerson-mnangagwa-a-mugabe-ally-bring-change-to-zimbabwe-12134023">new democracy “unfolding”</a> in Zimbabwe.
But this is wishful thinking.
There are three major barriers to a decisive break from the corrupt and dysfunctional political system that has been playing out in Zimbabwe: the ruling <a href="http://www.zanupf.org.zw/">Zanu-PF</a>, its president and what’s been their main sustainer – the military.
None would want to oversee real change because facilitating democratic rule with real contestation for power would mean running the risk of electoral defeat. This would endanger the networks of self enrichment that have been put in place over decades.
Instead, the next few months will see Zanu-PF, Mnangagwa and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/zimbabwe-beware-the-military-is-looking-after-its-own-interests-not-democracy-87712">military</a> continue to block democracy as they seek to hold onto the power.
<h2>The nature of Zanu-PF</h2>
Zanu-PF presents a formidable obstacle to democratic progress in the country. Zimbabwe has maintained the outward appearance of a multiparty democracy since <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/4/newsid_2515000/2515145.stm">independence in 1980</a>. But it’s effectively been a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-modern-african-studies/article/towards-the-oneparty-state-in-zimbabwe-a-study-in-african-political-thought/BD356807617492EBE85877DB6CD815C7">one-party dictatorship</a>.
The party brings a zero-sum game mindset to politics: it must always prevail, and its <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/06/09/bullets-each-you/state-sponsored-violence-zimbabwes-march-29-elections">opponents must be crushed</a> rather than accommodated. Opposition parties formally exist but they have not been allowed to win an election. Should such a possibility arise – as it did in <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-are-elections-really-rigged-mr-trump-consult-robert-mugabe-68440">2002, 2008 and 2013</a> – elections will be rigged to preserve the status quo.
Zanu-PF provides the most egregious example of the culture of exceptionalism which has characterised the liberation party in power. These include:
<ul>
<li>the belief that its entitled to rule indefinitely,</li>
<li>its refusal to view itself as an ordinary political party,</li>
<li>its conflating of party and state, and</li>
<li>its demonising of other parties as ‘enemies of liberation’ seeking to restore colonialism or white minority rule.</li>
</ul>
The way in which Zanu-PF has colonised the state over almost four decades means that there is a vast web of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03057070.2013.862100?src=recsys">patronage networks</a> that have been entrenched to facilitate the looting of the state’s resources. Democratic change and clean government pose a mortal threat to these networks and such privileges are unlikely to be surrendered without intense resistance.
<h2>The new president</h2>
Mnangagwa’s ominous record makes it difficult to build a persuasive case that he represents a new beginning.
He served as <a href="https://theconversation.com/mnangagwa-has-the-capacity-to-focus-on-the-new-zimbabwe-but-will-he-88254">Mugabe’s “chief enforcer”</a> until November 2017. He was pivotal to the collapse of the rule of law and the implosion of the Zimbabwean economy. And he has been a central player in the <a href="https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20161116-Zimbabwe-Early-Warning-Report.pdf">gross human rights abuses</a> that have characterised Zanu-PF rule. This includes the killings in <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=zi-tWekXbD8C&amp;pg=PA19&amp;lpg=PA19&amp;dq=%22the+early+rain+which+washes+away+the+chaff+before+the+spring+rains%22&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=dWX2SIUj7r&amp;sig=0aDLpmmQfN93e_RNJuKcBmGGEYI&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwioi-joj6LWAhWE7hoKHRF_C7wQ6AEIOTAD#v=onepage&amp;q=%22the%20early%20rain%20which%20washes%20away%20the%20chaff%20before%20the%20spring%20rains%22&amp;f=false">Matabeleland killings</a> in the 1980s. This is a past for which he has refused to <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-11-27-op-ed-mnangagwa-and-the-gukurahundi-fact-and-fiction/#.WjFR4Ux2trQ">acknowledge any responsibility</a>.
His more conciliatory language has not matched his actions. After becoming president he appointed an administration of cronies, military hardliners and ‘war veterans’.
The appointments appeared to consolidate the power of the now dominant faction of Zanu-PF: the old guard securocrats who routed Grace Mugabe’s equally malign <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/G40_(Zanu-PF_Faction)">G40 faction</a> through the barrel of a gun rather than democratic processes.
Having waited such a seemingly interminable length of time to land the top job, it is difficult to envisage Mnangagwa now placing his hard earned spoils at the mercy of <a href="https://www.businesslive.co.za/rdm/politics/2017-11-20-justice-malala-dont-fool-yourself-zimbabwe-wont-be-fixed-by-mugabes-ex-cronies/">a programme of democratisation</a>.
<h2>The military</h2>
The Zimbabwean Defence Force’s role in the removal of the president means that it has secured a place for itself as a privileged political actor and overseer of the entire political system.
The defence force has never been a neutral custodian of constitutional rule. Instead it has always been a highly politicised extension of the ruling party, a party militia in effect.
Previously its role was confined to repressing the ruling party’s opponents and maintaining the party’s dominance. The principle of civilian rule was respected even if this model of civil-military relations failed to meet any reasonable democratic standards. But with the coup, the military crossed a line. They determined the outcome of power struggles within the ruling party itself.
In the same way that the military has been politicised, the political system has been heavily militarised. This can be seen in the several key military veterans who have been appointed to the cabinet as well as Mnangagwa being the military’s candidate for the presidency. Essentially this is the civilian face of quasi-military rule in Zimbabwe.
To see the military’s removal of Mugabe as an overriding good ignores the fact that it has no concept of the national interest, or that it views that national interest as synonymous with its own and Zanu-PF’s.What this points to is an effective “barracks democracy” emerging in Zimbabwe. The military has secured a veto over the leadership of the ruling party and over the wider political process. It also reserves the right to reject election results that it does not approve of, or to take action that could prevent such results materialising in the first place.
It is dangerously naïve to expect such a force to help facilitate genuine democratic transition when its entire raison d’etre has been to preserve one-party rule (under a leadership of its choosing), to disable meaningful opposition and to <a href="https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2017/09/15/military-looted-diamonds-report/">preserve its own corruption networks</a>.
<h2>Unsettling prospects</h2>
True democratisation – as opposed to merely maintaining the procedural forms of democratic government – is anathema to Zimbabwe’s ruling party, its president and the military.
It is evident that their task is threefold over the next few months. They have to secure support for a measure of liberalisation; arrest political enemies for corruption rather than tackling corruption per se; and provide a smokescreen of a largely vacuous democratic rhetoric.
The hope is that this will be sufficient to secure aid, investment and an endorsement by external donors while virtually nothing changes in the actual power relations inside the country.
Anyone committed to democracy in Zimbabwe -– whether inside or outside the country – should begin mobilising against this project sooner rather than later.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-hamill-254226">James Hamill</a>, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-leicester-1053">University of Leicester</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-three-barriers-blocking-zimbabwes-progress-zanu-pf-mnangagwa-and-the-military-89177">original article</a>.
http://cnbc.africa/news/2017/12/28/zimbabwe-ex-army-boss-sworn-mugabe-gets-diplomats-rights/

Op-ed: The three barriers blocking Zimbabwe’s progress

The army chief who led the bloodless coup that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule was installed as Zimbabwe’s vice president on Thursday, becoming the most senior of a clutch of military figures to enter government.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-295452 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Zim_Constantino-Chiwenga_GettyImages.png" alt="" width="850" height="566" />
Retired general Constantino Chiwenga’s appearance on state television on Nov. 15 preceded armed soldiers taking to the streets, paving the way for Emmerson Mnangagwa to become president hours later.
Mnangagwa, a former chief lieutenant to Mugabe who has promised to push through economic and political reforms, on Thursday also granted his 93-year-old predecessor full diplomatic status and a staff of 23 under a pension settlement.
The president’s governing ZANU-PF party this month moved to draw a line under the era of Mugabe, who during his decades in power became feared as a despot and presided over economic collapse, by formally expelling the ex-president’s wife Grace and her allies from the organization.
But Mnangagwa, who himself stands accused of participating in repression, has steered clear of acts of retribution against the former president.
Mugabe has been living at his private home in the plush Borrowdale suburb, and the pension entitles him to “payment of a lump sum which is equal or equivalent to the value of the private residence”, according to the official government gazette.
In a statement in the gazette, Mnangagwa said ex-presidents who have served at least one full term &#8211; a category that includes only Mugabe &#8211; were also entitled to six security personnel and a fully furnished office.
Mnangagwa is under pressure from would-be foreign investors, opposition parties and ordinary Zimbabweans to implement reforms.
But he is also looking to maintain a unified ZANU-PF as the dominant political force and keep relations with its powerful military smooth in the run-up to national elections scheduled for next year.
<div></div>
Mugabe, who built a reputation for extensive international travel during his rule, will also be provided with a diplomatic passport.
Two weeks ago, in first trip outside Zimbabwe since he was removed from office, he visited a hospital in Singapore, apparently for medical checks.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by Alfonce Mbizwo; Writing by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Kevin Liffey and John Stonestreet
</div>

Zimbabwe ex-army boss sworn in as Mugabe gets diplomat’s rights

Retired army chief Constantino Chiwenga and veteran politician Kembo Mohadi will be sworn in as Zimbabwe’s vice presidents on Thursday, state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said on Wednesday.
<div id="attachment_290718" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-290718" class="wp-image-290718 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GettyImages-873637260_Zim-Army-Gen_RZ1.jpg" alt="" width="850" height="566" />Zimbabwe Army General Constantino Chiwenga Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces addresses a media conference held at the Zimbabwean Army Headquarters on November 13, 2017 in Harare. Zimbabwe&#8217;s army chief on November 13 demanded a &#8220;stop&#8221; to the purge in the ruling ZANU-PF party after the sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangangwa, and warned the military could intervene. / AFP PHOTO / Jekesai NJIKIZANA (Photo credit should read JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)</div>
The pair, appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, were elevated to similar positions in the ruling ZANU-PF party on Saturday.
Chiwenga retired from the military this month. His appointment was expected as a reward for leading a de facto coup in November that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule and brought Mnangagwa to power.
It also adds to signs of a consolidation of power for the army since it turned against the 93-year-old Mugabe. Mnangagwa has appointed several senior military officers to his cabinet and the ruling party’s top decision-making body, the Politburo.
Mnangagwa is under pressure from opposition parties and the public to implement political reforms.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="44">
Reporting by Alfonce Mbizwo; Editing by Ed Stoddard and John Stonestreet
</div>

Ex-army boss to be sworn in as Zimbabwe vice president on Thursday

The head of Zimbabwe’s military looks set to be appointed vice president as the government said on Monday he would retire pending “redeployment” in what is seen as a reward for leading a de facto coup last month that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule and brought Emmerson Mnangagwa to power.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-290705 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/zimbabwe_shutterstock_405855385-730x480.jpg" alt="" width="730" height="480" />
Mnangagwa has said he will fill the two vice presidential posts in the next few days and Constantino Chiwenga is the top contender in a reflection of the army’s consolidation of power since it turned against the 93-year-old Mugabe.
Mnangagwa has appointed several senior military officers to his cabinet and the ruling party’s executive Politburo since he was sworn in as president on Nov. 24. Army Commander Phillip Sibanda will succeed Chiwenga as defense forces chief, a government statement said.
“The appointment of Chiwenga&#8230;, which I think is inevitable, will be a confirmation that the military is a salient factor in the politics of the country,” said Eldred Masunungure, a political analyst at the University of Zimbabwe.
“It has always exercised its influence in a covert manner but now it’s quite overt and this will further consolidate that coalition between the military and the ruling political elite.”
Mnangagwa appointed Major General Edzai Chimonyo, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Tanzania, to succeed Sibanda as army commander and promoted a number of other senior army officers to major general.
The government also announced the retirement of police chief Augustine Chihuri, an unpopular Mugabe loyalist who it said has been on leave since Dec. 15. Chihuri was accused by rights groups of presiding over crackdowns on dissent and popular protest in the 18 months before Mugabe was overthrown.
Zimbabwe’s economy collapsed in the latter half of Mugabe’s rule, especially after violent farm seizures of thousands of white-owned commercial farms.
Monday’s announcements came hours after army chiefs declared an end to their military intervention and handed back policing to civilian police.
“Normalcy has now returned to our country. It is for this reason that &#8230; we announce the end of Operation Restore Legacy today,” army chief Sibanda said, referring to the name of the intervention which the army said targeted criminals in Mugabe and his wife Grace’s entourage.
<div></div>
Civic groups have been urging the soldiers to leave the streets since Mnangagwa was sworn in to replace Mugabe as president of the southern African country on Nov. 24.
Mnangagwa is under pressure to revive the economy ahead of elections due next year which he said last Friday may be held sooner than expected. The elections are due by July 2018 but some say they may be as early as March.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by Emelia Sithole-Matarise; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg
</div>

Zimbabwe military chief looks set for vice presidency

Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Friday the ruling ZANU-PF party should aim to always compete in elections which are credible, free and fair.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-291761 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Zim_Emmerson-Mnangagwa_GettyImages_RZ1.png" alt="" width="850" height="605" />
Mnangagwa, who became leader of the southern African nation last month after the military and ruling ZANU-PF turned against Robert Mugabe who had ruled the country for 37 years, was addressing a special congress.
Mnangagwa is expected to be endorsed by the ruling party as its leader and presidential candidate in elections due in 2018 which the international community will be closely watching.
<div></div>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Writing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise; Editing by James Macharia
</div>

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa says elections must be credible, free and fair

Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday called for the removal of Western sanctions on his government during a speech to ruling party officials and said elections due in 2018 were nearer than “you expect”.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-291634 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Emmerson-Mnangagwa_-GettyImages-RZ.png" alt="" width="850" height="591" />
Mnangagwa, 75, became leader of the southern African nation last month after the military and ruling ZANU-PF turned against Robert Mugabe who had ruled the country for 37 years and was seen grooming his wife Grace to succeed him.
While the European Union removed sanctions on ZANU-PF officials, members of the military and some government-owned firms in 2014, the United States has kept a travel and economic embargo on several ruling party elites.
“We call for the unconditional lifting of the political and economic sanctions, which have crippled our national development,” Mnangagwa told a meeting of the ZANU-PF central committee in downtown Harare.
“We realize that isolation is not splendid or viable as there is more to gain through solidarity, mutually beneficial partnerships.”
The international community will be closely watching the next elections in 2018, which Mnangagwa said would be free and fair and would be held nearer than most people expect.
The vote is due at the end of July in 2018 but there is talk it can be brought forward as early as March.
“Government will do all in its powers to ensure that the elections are credible, free and fair. These elections are nearer than what you expect,” he said without elaborating.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by Emelia Sithole-Matarise; Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by James Macharia
</div>

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa calls for end to Western sanctions

The African Export and Import Bank has pledged up to $1.5 billion in new loans and financial guarantees to Zimbabwe in a major boost for new President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, the bank’s president and chairman said on Tuesday.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-42002 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/harare_-_wikipedia.jpg" alt="Zimbabwe halves 2016 growth forecast to 1.4 percent" width="1365" height="1024" />
Mnangagwa, who took over last month after veteran autocrat Robert Mugabe quit following a de facto military coup, has vowed to focus on reviving the struggling economy and provide jobs in a nation with an unemployment rate exceeding 80 percent.
Afreximbank was only international lender that stood by Zimbabwe throughout Mugabe’s repressive 37-year rule, but its quick announcement of a fresh package of loans and guarantees appeared to be a vote of confidence in the new government.
Cairo-based Afreximbank was a major funder of Zimbabwe while the country was cut off from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for having defaulted on its debt in 1999.
Bank president and chairman Okey Oramah told reporters after a meeting with Mnangagwa and senior government officials that Afreximbank would provide $150 million to local banks to help them pay for outstanding critical imports.
”We also discussed a number of other areas that involve additional investment from us for something that will be in the order of $1 billion to $1.5 billion that will include certain kinds of guarantees to encourage investors to come to Zimbabwe.
“We&#8230;want to make sure that we support the stabilization of the economy, that means providing liquidity to make sure that the situation where people are rushing everytime to look for cash is dealt with,” said Oramah.
In August, before Mugabe’s ouster, Afreximbank provided $600 million to help Zimbabwe pay for imports and $300 million to allow it to print more “bond notes”, a quasi currency that officially trades a par with the U.S. dollar.
Zimbabwe has a foreign debt of more than $7 billion and in September said it would not be able to pay $1.8 billion in arrears to the World Bank and African Development Bank until economic fundamentals improved.
The southern African nation, which dumped its hyperinflation-hit currency in 2009, is struggling with a severe dollar crunch that has seen banks fail to avail cash to customers while importers struggle to pay for imports.
<div></div>
Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa promised in a budget speech last week to re-engage with international lenders, curb spending and attract investors to revive the economy.
On Tuesday, Chinamasa described Afreximbank as a “pillar of strength” and said the economy was “in for some very good times”.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; editing by Mark Heinrich
</div>

Afreximbank pledges up to $1.5 BN to post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa swore in his cabinet on Monday, with allies defending him against criticism for giving top posts to the generals who helped his rise to power.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-291761 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Zim_Emmerson-Mnangagwa_GettyImages_RZ1.png" alt="" width="850" height="605" />
Sworn in as president on Nov. 24 after 93-year-old Robert Mugabe quit following a de facto military coup, Mnangagwa has also come under fire for bringing back several faces from the Mugabe era, including Patrick Chinamasa as finance minister.
Air Marshall Perrance Shiri, who was handed the sensitive land portfolio, defended his appointment in remarks to reporters after a simple ceremony to take oaths of office.
“Who says military people should never be politicians? I‘m a Zimbabwean so I have every right to participate in government,” he said.
Shiri is feared and loathed by many Zimbabweans as the former commander of the North Korean-trained ‘5 Brigade’ that played a central role in ethnic massacres in Matabeleland in 1983 in which an estimated 20,000 people were killed.
Land is a central political issue in the southern African country, where reforms in the early 2000s led to the violent seizure of thousands of white-owned farms and hastened an economic collapse.
Another military figure is foreign minister Sibusiso Moyo, whom most Zimbabweans remember as the khaki-clad general who went on state television in the early hours of Nov. 15 to announce the military takeover.
He declined to discuss the cabinet with Reuters, saying he had yet to get into his new office.
Assembling a cabinet has not been without mishaps.
Mnangawa dropped his initial pick as education minister on Saturday, 24 hours after appointing him, after a public outcry and reshuffled two others to meet a Constitutional requirement that all but five ministers be Members of Parliament.
This has left the information portfolio vacant after he named Chris Mutsvangwa, the influential leader of the war veterans’ association, as special advisor to the president.
Mutsvangwa has defended the cabinet, which at 22 is smaller than Mugabe’s 33-strong team, saying the two military appointments were not unique to Zimbabwe.
He also said Mnangagwa had “engaged” the opposition MDC party about taking part in an “inclusive” government, but its leader Morgan Tsvangirai had blocked it &#8212; a claim disputed by the MDC.
“As far as we are concerned there was no contact whatsoever between President Mnangagwa, ZANU-PF and our party regarding the possibility of inclusion or involvement of our members in the government,” MDC Vice President Nelson Chamisa told Reuters.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="56">
Additional reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Catherine Evans
</div>

Zimbabwe swears in first post-Mugabe cabinet

Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, appointed senior military officials to top posts in his new cabinet and chose a veteran cabinet minister to head the finance ministry.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-292303 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Emmerson-Mnangagwa_Zim_Swearing-In_GettyImages-RZ.png" alt="" width="850" height="566" />
Mnangagwa was sworn in as president last Friday after 93-year-old Robert Mugabe quit under pressure from the army.
He named Patrick Chinamasa as finance minister, Air Marshal Perrance Shiri land minister and Major General Sibusiso Moyo foreign minister, among other appointments.
He also brought back many faces from the Robert Mugabe era, which could disapppoint Zimbabweans who had been expecting a broad-based government and a break with the past.
Chinamasa, a former finance minister in Mugabe’s government, moved to a newly created ministry of cyber security in a reshuffle last month. The cyber portfolio has been folded into the information ministry headed by a former deputy minister in Mugabe’s government, Supa Mandiwanzira.
Mnangagwa is under pressure to deliver, especially on the economy, which is in the grip of severe foreign currency shortages that have seen banks failing to give customers cash.
He told heads of government ministries on Tuesday that he was putting together a “leaner” government, which would see the merging of some departments to enhance efficiency.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="46">
Reporting Emelia Sithole-Matarise; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
</div>

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa names senior military officials to cabinet posts

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5664253201001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, appointed senior military officials to top posts in his new cabinet and chose a veteran cabinet minister to head the finance ministry.

Mnangagwa, military share spoils of victory

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday named Patrick Chinamasa acting finance minister until a new cabinet has been appointed, the chief secretary to the president and cabinet said in a statement.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-44288 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/patrick-chinamasa__1__zimbabweelections.jpg" alt="Zimbabwe says to clear $1.86 billion arrears by next April" width="600" height="478" />
Chinamasa was a former finance minister under Robert Mugabe’s government but was moved to a newly created ministry of cyber security during a reshuffle last month.

Emmerson Mnangagwa

What Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is offering investors at WEF Davos

Zimbabwe ruling party fires 11 Mugabe allies from parliament

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa says to hold elections in four to five months

Has Zimbabwe’s opposition leader handed President Emmerson Mnangagwa a gift?

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa closes in on former Zimbabwean ministers

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa rules out coalition government

Op-ed: The three barriers blocking Zimbabwe’s progress

Zimbabwe ex-army boss sworn in as Mugabe gets diplomat’s rights

Ex-army boss to be sworn in as Zimbabwe vice president on Thursday

Zimbabwe military chief looks set for vice presidency

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa says elections must be credible, free and fair

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa calls for end to Western sanctions

Afreximbank pledges up to $1.5 BN to post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe swears in first post-Mugabe cabinet

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa names senior military officials to cabinet posts

Mnangagwa, military share spoils of victory

Zimbabwe president Mnangagwa appoints Chinamasa acting finance minister

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Emmerson Mnangagwa

What Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is offering investors at WEF Davos

Zimbabwe ruling party fires 11 Mugabe allies from parliament

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa says to hold elections in four to five months

Has Zimbabwe’s opposition leader handed President Emmerson Mnangagwa a gift?

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa closes in on former Zimbabwean ministers

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa rules out coalition government

Op-ed: The three barriers blocking Zimbabwe’s progress

Zimbabwe ex-army boss sworn in as Mugabe gets diplomat’s rights

Ex-army boss to be sworn in as Zimbabwe vice president on Thursday

Zimbabwe military chief looks set for vice presidency

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa says elections must be credible, free and fair

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa calls for end to Western sanctions

Afreximbank pledges up to $1.5 BN to post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe swears in first post-Mugabe cabinet

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa names senior military officials to cabinet posts

Mnangagwa, military share spoils of victory

Zimbabwe president Mnangagwa appoints Chinamasa acting finance minister

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters