President Emmerson Mnangagwa is reported to be targeting his former counterpart Phelekezela Mphoko, after receiving intelligence that the former Vice President was plotting to challenge his legitimacy.
The Zimbabwe Independent reports that Mphoko is alleged to be working with senior Zanu-PF officials allegedly linked to VP Chiwenga and remnants of the G40 Faction to mount a court application challenging Mnangagwa’s ascension to power alleging that the Constitution was not followed after Mugabe was ousted in the November 2017 military coup.
Mphoko and his allies are challenging how Mnangagwa came into power because, at that time, he had been expelled from the party and government, while Mphoko was the only Vice President.
They argue that Mnangagwa could not come in from the outside to assume the highest post even though Zanu-PF had reinstated him.
A source who spoke to The Zimbabwe Independent said: “After information was obtained showing that Mphoko could launch the court challenge, a decision was made to get him so that he doesn’t become a new headache and a rallying point.
“An easy way of getting rid of him was to arrest him for storming Avondale Police Station to free former Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) acting chief executive Moses Juma and non-executive director Davison Norupiri who were arrested in 2016 on allegations of defrauding the authority of US$1,3 million.”
Mphoko sensationally claimed that he had intelligence that the authorities were planning to kill him by poisoning him.
