In 2017, when Emmerson Mnangagwa was fired as Vice President by Robert Mugabe and fled Zimbabwe, his political career seemed finished. But Constantino Chiwenga, then head of the military, did not walk away. He stood by Mnangagwa when no one else would. He risked his life, his position and his future to rescue the man many had already written off. Chiwenga led the military coup that ended Mugabe’s 37-year grip on Zimbabwe. It was a bold and dangerous move, and it worked. Mnangagwa returned from South Africa to a hero’s welcome. But that hero’s welcome had been paid for by Chiwenga’s courage and sacrifice.
After the coup, Chiwenga did not stop showing loyalty. He backed Mnangagwa in the disputed 2018 and 2023 elections. He kneeled before him at a ZANU PF congress in 2022 for all to see. Even when he was poisoned and fighting for his life, Chiwenga remained faithful to Mnangagwa. He echoed every slogan, backed every policy, and even called Mnangagwa Munhumutapa, a title once used by ancient Shona kings. Mnangagwa basked in the glory and went as far as declaring his birthday as Munhumutapa Day to feed his growing thirst for power.
The truth is, Chiwenga gave more than he received. Yes, Mnangagwa appointed him Vice President and gave him powerful portfolios, but that was a strategic move. Mnangagwa needed Chiwenga in those early days to secure control of the country and the army. At the time, he could not survive without him. It was a partnership built on convenience, not trust. And as history shows us, such alliances do not last forever.
Now the cracks are wide open. Mnangagwa wants a third term, even though he once promised to serve just one. That decision has ignited a war between the two men who once brought down a dictator together. Chiwenga believed 2023 would be his turn to lead Zimbabwe. He stood aside in 2018 with that understanding. But Mnangagwa has no intention of stepping down. He sees Chiwenga not as a partner, but as a threat to be removed.
Just like Mugabe before him, Mnangagwa is clearing out the very people who brought him to power. Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe, one of the key players in the 2017 coup, was recently pushed out. More will follow. Mnangagwa is repeating the pattern of other autocrats throughout history. Napoleon did it. Stalin did it. Idi Amin did it. And now Mnangagwa is doing it. He is consumed by the fear of betrayal and determined to crush anyone who stands in his way.
This is a betrayal not just of Chiwenga, but of the idea that Zimbabwe could finally move forward after Mugabe. What began as a military-backed transition filled with hope has become a selfish power grab. The men who once stood shoulder to shoulder are now locked in a deadly political game. Mugabe himself once warned Chiwenga that Mnangagwa would one day turn against him. That warning is no longer just a cautionary tale. It is the bitter truth playing out before our eyes.
Chiwenga may have made his own mistakes, but no one can deny the central role he played in the fall of Mugabe and the rise of Mnangagwa. Without him, there would be no New Dispensation. Yet today he finds himself discarded and sidelined by the very man he lifted to power. It is a tragic reflection of how politics in Zimbabwe eats its own. The betrayal is deep. The silence is loud. And the storm is far from over.
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