KEY POINTS
- Mnangagwa gifts 102 vehicles to army chiefs.
- Analysts say move aims to buy military loyalty.
- Zanu PF succession battle intensifies amid cracks.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday handed over 102 new vehicles to senior Zimbabwean army officers in Harare, a move widely seen as an effort to secure the military’s backing as internal rifts within Zanu PF threaten his grip on power.
Pictures released by the information ministry showed the 82-year-old leader smiling as he cut a ribbon and presented keys to a row of gleaming off-road trucks at the Zimbabwe National Army Msasa Logistics Garrison Depot.
Military perks as coup fears linger
The ministry framed the gesture as an overdue fulfilment of benefits owed to senior officers, saying the fleet would improve welfare and operational effectiveness. But political analysts noted that the timing reflects Mnangagwa’s urgent need to consolidate power amid unease within his party.
“This is classic coup-proofing,” said a Harare-based analyst. “The army has always been the ultimate arbiter of power in Zimbabwe. With succession battles heating up, Mnangagwa is buying loyalty.”
Loyalty bid as succession battle grows
Furthermore Mnangagwa’s sidelining of party secretary general Obert Mpofu and his uneasy relationship with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga have widened fissures in Zanu PF. Chiwenga, once Mnangagwa’s ally, has cast himself as a reformist championing an anti-corruption drive targeting business elites linked to the president.
Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi, Chiwenga’s wife, was among those present at the ceremony, also a reminder of how military and political rivalries are intertwined.
Oligarchs bankroll political patronage
Presidential spokesman George Charamba said more than 700 vehicles will eventually be distributed to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, calling it “the first ever such consignment in a short time.”
At the same time, wealthy Zanu PF financiers Kudakwashe Tagwirei and Wicknell Chivayo have handed out more than 300 vehicles to party leaders in recent weeks, underscoring how patronage has become the dominant tool for political survival.
The defence ministry and the ZDF did not disclose the cost of the vehicles, though Chivayo holds multimillion-dollar procurement contracts with the military.
