I Never Said Mnangagwa Will Shoot To Stay In Power: Hungwe

Minister of State for Masvingo Province Josiah Hungwe is reported to have denied ever saying that President Emmerson Mnangagwa will shoot to stay in power. In May, provincial weekly publication, the Masvingo Mirror, reported Hungwe warning his audience that Mnangagwa could shoot all those who did not listen to him and want to run away. In an article titled “Mnangagwa will shoot to stay in power”, Hungwe was quoted as saying,

Do you know that I am the leader of the new dispensation here in Masvingo and I say ichi chinhu chedu chatakaita (this is our thing that we did). Our leader Mnangagwa is a soldier and you know that a soldier is always equipped with a gun to do whatever he wants. If you want to run away from him he can shoot you so you should always know that.

However, after the gunning down of six people last week, following protests from the opposition, Hungwe denied ever making the statements in question. Speaking to the Daily News, Hungwe said,