Very mamboHow I met Chris Motswangwa
The month of May appears to have begun with high political events in Harare, as news of Neville Mutsvangwa’s arrest spread like wildfire through offices, bars and bedrooms alike.
Neville Mutsvangwa is the son of Zanu PF power couple, Chris and Monica Mutsvangwa who at one point in both the Mugabe and Ed Mnangagwa administrations became the infamous ministerial couple, a rarity in politics usually accompanied by a sense of being kingmakers and invincible! This puzzle could become a political downfall!
As I was lying in bed in the early hours of the morning, I read that Neville had been refused bail and was remanded in custody until May 30. News is that his father Chris has accused Vice President General Chiwenga of being the force behind his son’s misfortune! This leads me to walk down memory lane and share my own experience with Chris, a veteran!
In March 2016, Chris was fired by his boss Robert Mugabe for various crimes ranging from fanning factions to supporting Team Lacoste after he allegedly organized a war meeting to discuss Mugabe’s successor! It now looks as if the first quarter of the year was a miserable phase for Chris as he will be fired by Ed in February this year!
After being sacked by Mugabe, Chris sneaked into South Africa and began his hard work plotting against his former boss. He would seek out all the anti-Mugabe voices in the diaspora, sit down with them and plead his case, and go and meet President Tsvangirai and other like-minded forces in the diaspora. His slogan was to reconsider the objectives of the liberation war and accused Mugabe of treason.
For some of us who spent years fighting to remove Mugabe from power, this message resonated well. On my first meeting with Chris we quickly exchanged numbers in front of Save. Save actually hinted to Chris about the kind of work I was doing for him! Chris liked me instantly and we became friends.
I remember Chris calling me one mid-week evening to come and pick him up from Sandton. He suspected that G40 operatives were going to kill him on orders from the highest office in the country. I asked him why he would put my life at risk instead of taking a taxi to his base in Florida in the western JHB area. He said he wanted me to witness his death if that happened.
My encounters with Chris would continue for a very long time indeed, as he knew I knew a few people he wanted to meet. These people are former Rhodesian farmers and industrialists spread throughout Johannesburg. With the promise of the return of their lands, organizing meetings became very easy. The Rhodesians appeared frustrated by Save the Children’s failure to seize power from Mugabe. They saw in Chris a real opportunity to see Mugabe’s return.
I would like to introduce Chris to people like John Stanton and Russell Herbert, these guys have shown undying love for Zimbabwe! I should also mention that during this time Chris seemed financially unstable as he would ask me for money to get a haircut or a whiskey. One day I took him to a barber shop in Ridgway Johannesburg south past my house. My uncle was fascinated – here I was with Chris, the powerful former Veterans Minister.
We’d spend weekends at his favorite drinking spot, sipping whiskey on the corner of Gordon Road and Untedakers. I think they are smugglers if I’m not mistaken!
Now, in the months leading up to November 2017, Chris’s plans are now well underway. We were watching all the interviews given by the war veteran leaders Mahia and Matemadanda of Sandton in the company of our Rhodesian friends. We had to show them that things had moved on. To their joy and satisfaction!
Fast forward to 2017, and the coup was carefully executed – like every other Zimbabwean enthusiast I find myself in Harare. New boss Ed has a meeting at Rainbow Towers – I bumped into Chris who barely recognized me. I frantically try to remind him who I was and our days in Sandton as I unlock the car. He answers vafana munoshupa hatikuziviyi! I was confused and left the crowd depressed.
A few months later, Neville contacted me looking for a television opportunity in South Africa. He had a message and the message was that Chiwenga could not be vice president – ​​I don’t know who sent him, but with the current statements of his father, it may be very clear that he was following his father’s orders.
With all this happening to Chris I have no kind words for him. A man gets easily intoxicated with power. The last time he addressed a journalist in Johannesburg, he told us that if we were not satisfied with Zanu Pf, we should do exactly what Zanu Pf did to Smith and everyone knows what that is! Regai zvakedero musabata Kani Hamawi!
Unfortunately the majority of Zanu PF members It seems to me that the interaction with VP Chiwenga should never have him ascend to the throne. Kawhi Mukanya does not enter……
Factions will be the end of your relationship. We’re watching from the stands, but I heard that Wazahra forgot and that we’re the ones keeping the money! He was writing on X
