Hopewell Chin’ono@daddyhope
Hopes of a military coup against President Emmerson Mnangagwa, led by his vice president, General Constantino Chiwenga and his associates, have reportedly been quashed after sources say that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa assured his Zimbabwean counterpart that South Africa will not countenance any unconstitutional removal of a president in Zimbabwe.
Today, President Emmerson Mnangagwa met with Ramaphosa in Harare, where he was received by Mnangagwa alongside businessmen Wicknell Chivayo and Kudakwashe Tagwirei, before the two leaders and the two businessmen flew on a one hour helicopter trip together to Mnangagwa’s farm, Precabe, in Kwekwe.
They toured the farm, where the South African president was shown Mnangagwa’s Ankoli cattle and fish breeding pools. When they reached the ostriches, Ramaphosa is said to have remarked, in a pointed and politically loaded statement, that “nothing and nobody will remove my elder brother from power unconstitutionally.”
The remark was made in the presence of members of the delegation accompanying the two leaders.
“The owner of these ostriches will be president until 2030 if Parliament says so,” Ramaphosa is further reported to have said, reinforcing his assurance to Mnangagwa and those present.
The two leaders then went into a four-hour closed-door meeting, where they were joined by Tagwirei and Chivayo. The meeting was described as highly personal and private, with even the president’s spokesperson, George Charamba, excluded from the delegation for today’s visit.
Sources familiar with the discussions say Ramaphosa made it clear that South Africa would neither support nor recognise a military coup against Mnangagwa.
Those within Mnangagwa’s inner circle were reportedly buoyant after the engagement, interpreting Ramaphosa’s position as a significant reinforcement of regional backing.
They believe that, with South Africa’s stance now aligned with that of countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and, more recently, Botswana, where Chivayo travelled in recent days, Mnangagwa has effectively strengthened his position and insulated his presidency within the region against any potential coup attempt.
What was significant today is that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s trip to Zimbabwe, which I broke last night, was not an official bilateral state engagement conducted at the level of heads of state.
It was a private trip, and sources in Pretoria say that many people in the president’s office, and indeed within DIRCO, the foreign affairs department of South Africa, were not aware of it.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is now back in South Africa after the short visit to Zimbabwe.
