Zimbabwe's president appoints ex-army boss as party VP

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed retired army boss Constantino Chiwenga and veteran politician Kembo Mohadi as the ruling party's vice presidents, a spokesperson said on Saturday.

The appointments paved the way for the two to ascend to similar positions in government, officials said.

Mnangagwa, who took over last month from 93-year-old Robert Mugabe after the intervention of the military, is under pressure from opposition parties and the public to implement political reforms.

Retired Commander of Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) General Constantino Chiwenga inspects a guard of honor during his farewell army parade in Harare, Zimbabwe, December 19, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Under Mugabe's 37-year rule, political space was limited, with the latter part of his reign marked by the emergence of a ZANU-PF faction aligned to his wife Grace that threatened to usurp the army's central role in government.

Chiwenga, who retired from the army on Monday, is the latest in a string of senior military figures appointed by Mnangagwa to important political posts.

On November 30, former general Sibusiso Moyo was made foreign minister and former air force chief Perence Shiri was named the minister of agriculture and land affairs.

Presidential spokesman George Charamba said Chiwenga and Mohadi's appointments as vice presidents of the country could only be made by the Chief Secretary to the Government and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, who is out of the country.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa looks on at the swearing in of cabinet ministers at State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, December 4, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Chiwenga, who was one of Mugabe's right-hand men like Mnangagwa, played a prominent role in the military's intervention on November 15 that came days after Mugabe sacked then vice president Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa left the country after dismissal, which was seen as paving the way for Grace Mugabe to succeed her husband.

After Mugabe was forced to resign, Mnangagwa returned and was sworn in as president of Zimbabwe on November 24.

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Source(s): Reuters