One of the most feared men in Zimbabwe, infamous for his part in planning the massacre of thousands of civilians, re-emerged as President Robert Mugabe's most favored successor. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who once said he would "shorten the stay on earth" of any "cockroaches" who opposed Mugabe, became vice-president and Zimbabwe's possible next leader. His promotion crowned decades of loyal service to Mugabe.
Mnangagwa's career began in 1965 when he led knife-wielding guerrillas, known as the "Crocodile Gang", who attacked white-owned farms in Zimbabwe's eastern Highlands.
When Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, Mnangagwa was appointed security minister and political head of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). His first task was to destroy the rival Zapu party in the Matabeleland region. Mnangagwa ran a campaign that took at least 8,000 lives and was so brutal that even Mugabe later called it "a moment of madness".
Mnangagwa is known for his chilling public speeches. At one rally in 1983, Mnangagwa called the opposition "cockroaches" and threatened to burn "all the villages infested with dissidents". A month later, Mnangagwa told another rally, "Blessed are they who follow the path of the government laws, for their days on earth shall be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents, for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth."
From 1998, Mugabe gave him special responsibility for Zimbabwe's military intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo's civil war, allowing Mnangagwa to enrich himself by acquiring mining interests. |
