By Lebo Nkatazo
Last updated: 07/18/2025 12:47:38
ZANU PF heavyweight Emmerson Mnangagwa has opted for a rural seat after successive defeats in urban areas mortgaged his political career to the whims of President Robert Mugabe.

In 2000 and 2005, Mnangagwa was defeated by the opposition MDC’s Blessing Chebundo in Kwekwe, only to bounce back into government as a non-constituency appointee of President Robert Mugabe.

Other senior Zanu PF figures such as Dumiso Dabengwa and Chen Chimutengwnde were left in the cold following electoral defeats.

In 2000, Mnangagwa was appointed the Speaker of Parliament and in 2005, he was appointed the Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities.

But with Mugabe no longer having the privilege to appoint any members to the House of Assembly, Mnangagwa has dumped Kwekwe for a newly-created constituency, Chirumanzi–Zibagwe. He was not opposed in primaries.

Long touted as Mugabe’s heir apparent, Mnangagwa a race for the party’s deputy leadership to Joice Mujuru amid claims that some Zanu PF officials aligned to him had plotted a "palace coup" against the top leadership.

When, Mnangagwa lost to Chebundo in 2005, his campaign manager wrote to Mugabe claiming Mujuru had masterminded his defeat.

“I can say that Kwekwe was lost to the MDC because some very senior people within the party sponsored and manipulated the situation in favour of the MDC to score points in their vendetta against Mnangagwa,” his campaign manager wrote.

He added that Mujuru and her husband, retired army general Solomon Mujuru, had "retired to bed in a celebratory mood once they had heard that Mnangagwa had lost.”
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