President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the weekend hinted that the removal of former president Robert Mugabe was prophesied way back in 1964.

Mnangagwa profiled himself an animated speech that cast him as a hero as far back as more than half a century ago, (52 years) spoke of this during the Rhodesian colonial regime while he was recruiting guerillas to prepare for the Second Chimurenga.

Mnangagwa told the gathering how the late Bishop Mutendi, who was his uncle, foretold his future in the 1960s.

Mnangagwa survived hanging — on an age technicality — by the Rhodesian regime after his death sentence was commuted to 10 years in jail for bombing a locomotive at Masvingo Railway Station in 1965. His colleague in the locomotive bombing, Cde Matthew Malowa, was executed.

Mnangagwa was later to skip the border in November last year to South Africa via Mozambique when his life appeared to be in danger from Robert Mugabe and his G40 faction who were reportedly baying for his head following his dismissal from Government.

He triumphantly returned from temporary exile two weeks later culminating in his election as the new Zanu-PF leader and First Secretary, and subsequently the President of Zimbabwe taking over from Mr Robert Mugabe.

“Let me tell you in 1964 when I still did not understand these things (prophecy) I was with my colleague recruiting young men and women to join the liberation struggle at Nyika, you know Nyika (in Bikita). We were seeing one (Cde) Farirai Masunda. He is the one we were seeing since he was the chairman at the time in the area,unfortunately he died, succumbed to thorough beating (by Rhodesian authorities) because of us,’’ said President Mnangagwa.
He said one day they were summoned by the late ZCC founder.

“As we were moving around we saw a large group of people, comprising men and women, who were walking in a field belonging to my late uncle, Bishop Mutendi’s father (the late Samuel Mutendi) and would gather at one place in the evening. We went there and my uncle the late Bishop Mutendi called me and my colleague.’’

“We stood up, and holding his famous staff in one hand, he said referring to me and my colleague, ‘you are in a race but in a race there are some who win and others who fail to make it, yet all of you will be part of the race,’ up to now I do not know what he meant. He said to the two of us, ‘between you two, one will win but another will fail in the race that you are participating,’’ said the President.

Mnangagwa said he would have liked to ask the late Bishop Mutendi what he meant had he not died.

‘’Today he is no longer there but I wanted to ask him what he exactly meant by saying my colleague and I were in a race. I now know that as a man of God he was talking about what awaited us in way into the future and what he said was fulfilled and today I am here with you,’’ said Mnangagwa. – state media