Rumours of Zimbabwe coup surfaces

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:00 pm

Zimbabwe may be preparing for its second army-driven removal of a sitting president in the past two-and-a-half years.

The meltdown in the country economy constitutes the biggest threat to Zanu PF’s continued hold on power, the ruling party has admitted.

The country is going through one of the worst economic crises since 2013 characterised by severe currency shortages, scarce fuel supplies and galloping inflation.

Jonathan Moyo – a former cabinet minister for Zanu PF – has claimed that the wheels are in motion to remove Emmerson Mnangagwa from office through a military coup.

Main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa and his party the MDC refused to recognise Mnangagwa’s election victory in last year’s elections citing alleged vote rigging.

The opposition party has been pushing for dialogue between the two leaders to resolve the crisis, but Zanu PF insists that there is no need for the talks.

Churches have also been pushing for dialogue between Mnangagwa and Chamisa to resolve Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis, which has left millions on the brink of starvation.

According to the UN, 60% of Zimbabwe’s population is food insecure due to a severe drought during the 2018/19 farming season.

Mnangagwa, who took over from Mugabe in 2017 following a military coup, has been struggling to deliver on his promise of a quick economic turnaround.

Foreign investors continue to stay away from Zimbabwe due to the unstable political situation in the country and unpredictable economic policies.

In June Zimbabwe dumped the multi-currency regime that had helped stabilise the economy for over a decade and reverted back to its own currency.

The Zimbabwe dollar, however, has been losing value rapidly due to low economic activity in the country.