harare zimbabwe vice president emmerson mnangagwa say late thursday hospitalize august poison raise political temperature fight succeed 93-year-old president robert mugabe mnangagwa former intelligence chief nickname crocodile lead candidate succeed mugabe leader zimbabwe know since independence 1980. say believe responsible try kill main rival top job first lady grace mugabe swiftly deny anything hours early tell public gather nearby hotel thursday night mnangagwa ally plot power grab tantamount coup accord audio record speech mnangagwa airlift johannesburg fall ill august news conference late thursday open state media say doctor conclude poison blame illness inadvertent food poison medical doctor attend rule food poison confirm indeed poison occur investigations progress mnangagwa say read statement provide detail proof mnangagwa 75 become vice-president 2014 put front pack succeed mugabe however last 18 months meet fierce opposition grace faction rule party back first lady deny anything illness accuse lie get public sympathy kill mnangagwa mnangagwa earth grace mugabe say footage air friday state television kill someone give job husband nonsensical veterans zimbabwe 1970s independence war publicly back mnangagwa step mugabe shoe last year describe nonagenarian ruler dictator jolt rebuke lay bare fissure within rule zanu-pf party hotel address thursday even grace say mnangagwa plot force zanu-pf support mugabe successor scheme say must resist threaten day night one become president kill say without state origin threats bow pressure never arrest us throw us prison rule accord trove hundreds document inside zimbabwe central intelligence organization cio review reuters september mnangagwa political players position day mugabe either step die tacit back zimbabwe military former colonial power britain rule party next leadership congress due 2019 mugabe plan context next year elections say stay put zimbabwe 's vice president possible mugabe successor say poison