"This peasant son by the age of 16 became a seasoned fighter for freedom, then learned to become a lawyer and eventually led a formidable intelligence service of the country where he moved," writes The New York Times correspondent Kimiko de Freitas-Tamura. His nickname "Crocodile", he himself explained: the crocodile "attacks at the right time".
"Emmerson Mnangagwa was vice president of Zimbabwe until he was fired last week. Now, apparently, he will become the new leader of the country after on Wednesday the military took President Robert Mugabe into custody and plunged this state in southern Africa into a state of uncertainty. It is not yet known what role the 75-year-old Mnangagwa played in the alleged coup by his military allies, but officials and those who watched his increase say that he is somewhat like Mugabe: power-loving, corrupt, skillfully able to conduct repressions, "reads the article. Many observers fear that Zimbabwe will replace one "strong ruler" with another.
The publication notes that when Mugabe sacked his vice-president, this was seen as an attempt to clear the way for the successor to become Grace Mugabe, the president's wife. "But Ms Mugabe, whom most dislike for her temper and love for luxury goods, has almost no support among army officers and intelligence officers who strictly control the country," the author writes.
Most Zimbabweans are happy about the fall of the Mugabe clan. "But many believe that the seizure of power is a symptom of civil strife and conflict of generations in the ruling ZANU-PF party, and not a genuine chance for multi-party democracy and economic reforms," ??the newspaper notes.. In addition, Mnangagwa is associated with persecution in the 1980s, when thousands of Ndebele people were killed, as well as with the expropriation of lands from white farmers.
Mnangagwa (who by that time had served 10 years for an attempted explosion and received a law degree) met Mugabe in the ranks of the movement for the liberation of Mozambique from the Portuguese colonial power. He became Mugabe's personal assistant and bodyguard, who later thanked him for his devotion, appointing various high-ranking positions in Zimbabwe. Thus, in the mid-1980s, Mnangagwa headed the Central Intelligence Organization.
"This year his relationship with the Mugabe family began to deteriorate," writes the author. Grace Mugabe accused Mnangagwa of preparing a coup, and he accused her of attempting her own life.
"Although the recent move by the military was triggered by the dismissal of Mnangagwa, it is now reported that it was planned several weeks before the event, when high-ranking army officers consulted with officials from South Africa and China. Online publication Africa Confidential states: South Africa assured Mnangagwa's allies that it will not interfere while the actions of the Zimbabwean military remain within the borders of Zimbabwe, "reads the article.