Zimbabwe’s army chief has warned those responsible for “purging” the country’s ruling Zanu-PF party to stop, or the military will step in.<\/p>\n
The rare intervention comes just a week after President Robert Mugabe sacked his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa.<\/p>\n
General Constantino Chiwenga, who appeared at a news conference with another 90 senior army officers, did not refer to anyone by name.<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa, once seen as a successor to Mr Mugabe, has fled into exile.<\/p>\n
Mr Mugabe’s wife Grace, who is now the favourite to succeed her husband, referred to Mr Mnangagwa as a snake which “must be hit on the head”.<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa, nicknamed the “crocodile” because of his perceived shrewdness, has rebuked Mr Mugabe, saying Zanu-PF is “not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please”.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the army’s headquarters, General Chiwenga said the removal of people who were involved in the independence struggle, like Mr Mnangagwa, would not be tolerated.<\/p>\n
“The current purging, which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background, must stop forthwith,” he told those gathered for the news conference.<\/p>\n
“We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in.”<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa previously served as defence and state security minister.<\/p>\n
Mrs Mugabe, meanwhile, has the support of the younger “Generation 40” or “G40” group of Zimbabwe politicians.<\/p>\n
General Chiwenga also hit out at the “squabbling” between politicians, saying it had led to “no meaningful development in the country for the past five years”.<\/p>\n
The crisis, he concluded, meant Zimbabwe was struggling with “cash shortages and rising commodity prices”.<\/p>\n
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