By A Correspondent

Lovemore Itai Mukandi, the former deputy director general of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), has made the shocking claim that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had been planning the 2017 coup against former President Robert Mugabe for years, with origins in the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s.

Mukandi claims that Mnangagwa, General Constantino Chiwenga, and the late Perence Shiri felt threatened by the prospect of being prosecuted for their roles in the Gukurahundi atrocities in a recently released video and his new autobiography, How Mnangagwa Blindsided Robert Mugabe and Grabbed Zimbabwe. The reasons behind the coup that finally resulted in Mnangagwa’s rise to power are clarified by Mukandi’s assertions.

Mukandi went on to explain that Mnangagwa and Chiwenga’s fears were amplified when Mugabe made it clear that he intended to name Dr. Sydney Sekeramayi as his successor. The two men planned the coup because they thought a leader they did not trust could start prosecuting them for previous crimes, according to the former CIO official.

Mukandi claimed that Mnangagwa was unelectable in a fair political environment and had long planned to take power through illegal means. In the video, Mukandi claimed that Mnangagwa had always intended to seize power because he knew he could not win an election.

A firsthand account of the events leading up to the coup and the political intrigues within the ruling party are the goals of his autobiography, which is currently available on Amazon. Discussions concerning responsibility for previous human rights abuses and the intricate political dynamics of Zimbabwe may be rekindled by Mukandi’s assertions.

Mnangagwa’s leadership and the legacy of the Gukurahundi massacres, which have long plagued Zimbabwean politics, may come under closer scrutiny as the nation struggles with its tumultuous past.