Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s estranged wife, Marry Mubaiwa-Chiwenga has dismissed his husband saying he is not a politician.

Marry said Chiwenga was still firmly in control of military operations which he continues to run from his office despite retiring in 2018 following the November 2017 coup.

Posting Twitter, Marry demanded the custody of her children who still living with Chiwenga following their messy break-up last year.

“My husband VP Chiwenga is not a politican (sic), he was never one and never will, my husband took his military hat of Commander and into his place of work now, he commands, he is doing military touch into his place of work, soldiers still take instructions from him,” she said.

Chiwenga was Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander from 2004 t0 2017.

It is however his continued association with the military that could probably come as a source of concern to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Chiwenga led the 2017 military coup that toppled long serving President Robert Mugabe, replacing him with the now incumbent who had been deputy to Mugabe.

During his time as Mugabe deputy, Mnangagwa also had close liaison to the country’s military, something widely thought to have given him the base to mastermind the former leader’s shock ouster.

When Mnangagwa returned to the country following a brief exile period in South Africa after his sacking by Mugabe November 2017, he announced he was in “constant touch” with the then Chiwenga led military during the tense period around the now late former President’s ouster.

Marry has said before that Chiwenga harbours Presidential ambitions.

However, in public pronouncements, the former military boss continues to declare loyalty to Mnangagwa but has never denied harbouring his own Presidential ambitions.