We Never Supported Mnangagwa, We Just Wanted Mugabe Gone: Joice Mujuru

Former Vice-president and National People’s Party (NPP) leader Joice Mujuru has claimed that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) took advantage of former president Robert Mugabe’s unpopularity to install President Emmerson Mnangagwa as head of state in November. Addressing supporters in Mount Darwin, Mujuru claimed that people were not supporting Mnangagwa but were venting their frustration against Mugabe’s rule. Said Mujuru:

They took advantage of our grievances and thought all of us wanted Mnangagwa to be President. We did not support him (Mnangagwa), we were protesting against Mugabe’s long stay in power because he had become detached from reality. He was too old.

Mujuru also urged the military to respect the Constitution and to return to their barracks. This comes after former cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and the opposition MDC-T party claimed that the military had deployed soldiers into rural areas to drum up support for Zanu-PF ahead of the 2018 elections. Said Mujuru: