By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has relieved senior army general Anselem Sanyatwe of his duties, in what analysts say is a bid to consolidate his hold on power.
The sacking on Tuesday comes amid growing fears of a possible coup by former allies of the president.
Sanyatwe, Zimbabwe’s second most powerful general and head of the army, is the third senior official to be affected by similar reshuffles carried out by Mnangagwa in recent months.
Also dismissed on Tuesday were the chief of police and the head of Zimbabwe’s intelligence service.
Mnangagwa, who took office after a military coup that ousted longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, is facing growing opposition within his ZANU-PF party, which has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
Some veterans of the Southern African country’s war of independence have called for nationwide protests on 31 March to force Mnangagwa to step down.
They accuse him of deepening the country’s economic crisis and plotting to extend his rule beyond 2028, when his second term is due to end.
Mnangagwa on Wednesday denied those allegations, warning against “people who want to disturb our peace” at a ZANU-PF meeting in the capital, Harare.
Analysts allege that Mnangagwa, increasingly worried about his grip on power, has been trying to bolster his position by shaking up the military, police, and intelligence leadership.
The anti-Mnangagwa war veterans want to replace him with Constantino Chiwenga, a retired general who led the coup against Mugabe and is now the country’s vice president.
Although their numbers are declining due to ageing and mortality, the independence war veterans remain influential in Zimbabwe’s politics and retain strong ties with its security chiefs, having fought alongside them during the liberation struggle.
