Mnangagwa says 'it is not my time' after escaping blast at rally Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe loyalist installed after the army ousted his erstwhile patron, said the object had 'exploded a few inches away from me, but it is not my time.' HARARE - President Emmerson Mnangagwa escaped injury in an explosion at a political rally on Saturday, and vowed the “cowardly act” would not derail Zimbabwe’s first election since the ouster of former strongman Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe loyalist installed after the army ousted his erstwhile patron, said the object had “exploded a few inches away from me, but it is not my time.” The blast came as Zimbabwe prepared to hold its first post-Mugabe presidential election on 30 July, with 75-year-old Mnangagwa and 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the main contenders. #Zimbabwe Assassination attempt speculation as suspected bomb goes off at a rally in Bulawayo today as President ED Mnangagwa was leaving the stage. pic.twitter.com/wqI9IFcPH9 — 👑 (@iAmAugustine_) June 23, 2018 Authorities gave no details of what had caused the explosion at Mnangagwa’s first rally in Bulawayo, an opposition stronghold where the ruling ZANU-PF has not won in national elections since 2000. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast and the run up to this year’s vote had been relatively peaceful, unlike previous elections which were marred by violence, mostly against opposition members by ZANU-PF supporters. “The campaign so far has been conducted in a free and peaceful environment, and we will not allow this cowardly act to get in our way as we move towards elections,” Mnangagwa said. “Its just an element of defeatists in the struggle of freedom. The country is peaceful.” Mnangagwa said the injured included Vice President Kembo Mohadi, the wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the environment minister and the deputy speaker of parliament. Several security personnel were also hurt, the state-owned Herald newspaper said. Mnangagwa’s rise to the presidency was fiercely resisted by Mugabe loyalists, including his wife Grace. Mugabe later said he felt betrayed by Mnangagwa, who lived in the shadows of his former boss for nearly 50 years. POLITICAL VIOLENCE Opposition leader Chamisa expressed sympathy for the victims of the blast and said no stone should be left unturned in the police investigation. “Political violence of any nature from any quarter is totally unacceptable. In the past 38 years political violence has been a permanent feature and an anticipated ritual ... which we must expunge,” Chamisa said. Mnangagwa said on Saturday he was “used to these attempts” on his life, noting that he had been poisoned at a rally outside Bulawayo last August when still Mugabe’s vice president. He spent weeks receiving medical treatment in neighbouring South Africa. Twenty-three candidates have registered to contest the election and Mnangagwa has promised a free and fair vote. International observers are in the country for the first time since 2002 and, if they endorse the conduct of the ballot, it could help Zimbabwe secure funding from international institutions for the first time in two decades. Both main candidates are campaigning on a pledge to revive an economy crippled by a legacy of often violent seizures of land from white commercial farmers and a black economic empowerment drive that targeted foreign-owned businesses. Those policies were cornerstones of Mugabe’s near four-decade rule, but the ruling ZANU-PF says Zimbabwe is at a critical stage of its transition and needs an experienced hand like Mnangagwa at the tiller. Chamisa says the president is equally to blame for Zimbabwe’s economic woes as he served in each of Mugabe’s governments since independence in 1980. ZIMBABWE VICE PRESIDENT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES IN STADIUM BLAST Zimbabwe’s vice president Constantino Chiwenga and his wife sustained minor injuries from a blast at a political rally, a source close to President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Reuters on Saturday. “Mrs Chiwenga was slightly injured. Her husband was also affected in a minor way,” the source said. Mnangagwa’s spokesman said earlier that the president was not hurt in the blast at a stadium in the second city of Bulawayo and was taken to safety.<doc-sep>Reuters Staff HARARE (Reuters) - An explosion rocked a stadium in Zimbabwe where President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a political rally on Saturday, his spokesman said, adding the head of state was unhurt and taken to safety. “There has been an incident at Bulawayo (White City Stadium) where the president was addressing a rally. This is now a police issue but the president is safe at Bulawayo State House,” spokesman George Charamba told Reuters. “We are still to get information on what exactly happened as we understand that some people could have been injured as this happened in the VIP tent.” Police were not immediately available for comment. Footage from Zimbabwe state television showed the explosion took place near Mnangagwa as he waved to supporters. Mnangagwa was speaking at his first rally in the second city of Bulawayo, an opposition stronghold where the ruling ZANU-PF has not won in national elections since 2000. Zimbabwe holds its presidential election on July 30, with 75-year-old Mnangagwa and 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the main contenders. Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Writing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Mark Potter<doc-sep>Emmerson Mnangagwa, the president of Zimbabwe, has called for peace, love and unity hours after escaping an apparent assassination attempt during an election campaign rally in the southern city of Bulawayo. At least eight people were injured in the explosion, the state-run Herald newspaper reported. Footage posted online showed Mnangagwa, 75, waving to the crowd in the White City stadium at about 2pm on Saturday afternoon, turning to step off the podium and walking into the open-sided VIP tent, where seconds later the explosion occurred. People ducked and screamed and smoke billowed. State television immediately cut its broadcast. Images taken by photographers at the rally showed several injured people lying on the ground. Local media said the vice-president, Kembo Mohadi, had leg injuries, while Constantino Chiwenga, a second vice-president and the former military commander-in-chief, had bruises on his face, the report said. In a statement issued later in the afternoon, Mnangagwa said his thoughts and prayers were with “all those affected by this senseless act of violence.” The forthcoming election in Zimbabwe is the latest turning point in what has proved the most tumultuous few months in almost four decades of Zimbabwe’s political history. In November, Robert Mugabe was forced out of power after 37 years, following a peaceful military takeover supported by the vast majority of the 17 million population. The poll on 30 July pits Zanu-PF, the ruling party, against the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the longstanding opposition. Zanu-PF is led by Mnangagwa, a former vice-president known as the Crocodile who took power when Mugabe was ousted. Polls indicate a potentially close race, but one that Zanu-PF should win. Though hard fought, the campaign so far has seen little of the violence associated with previous elections in Zimbabwe. Past votes have been marked by systematic intimidation of the opposition and fraud, and the US and others have said a credible vote is key to lifting international sanctions. “The campaign has so far been conducted in a free and peaceful environment, and we will not allow this cowardly act to get in our way as we move towards elections ... Let us continue to be united and address our differences peacefully. The strongest response to violence is peace. The strongest response to hate is love,” Mnangagwa’s statement read. There is no indication of who might be responsible for the attack. There have been frequent allegations of assassination attempts directed at Mnangagwa and other senior politicians, although these have not involved bombings or firearms. “Investigations are under way and more details will be given to the public. There have been multiple attempts on the president’s life over the past five years,” said George Charamba, the president’s spokesman. Timeline Mugabe goes - how his resignation came about Show 14 November 2017 Tanks on street Zimbabweans post video footage of tanks moving on the outskirts of the capital, Harare. Read more 15 November 2017 Mugabe detained The army declares that Robert Mugabe has been detained at his residence as it takes control of the streets of Harare. It denies that a coup has taken place. Read more 16 November 2017 Digging in Mugabe refuses to step down during talks with generals. Envoys from the Southern African Development Community are dispatched to Harare to hold talks at the presidency. Read more 17 November 2017 A public appearance The president shocks Zimbabweans – and the wider world – by appearing in public at a university graduation ceremony. Calls for Mugabe to go only increase, but he clings on. Read more 18 November 2017 Protests Thousands of protesters flood Zimbabwe's streets demanding Mugabe's resignation. Read more 19 November 2017 The resignation speech that wasn't The head of Zimbabwe's war veterans' association says Mugabe should give in "now", but in another twist, the 93-year-old gives a public address that makes no mention of resigning. Read more 20 November 2017 Impeachment plan The once-loyal Zanu-PF, the ruling party, outlines a plan for launching the impeachment process in parliament the next day. Read more 21 November 2017 Mugabe goes Parliament reconvenes for a session to impeach Mugabe, which is interrupted when the speaker announces that the president has resigned. Read more Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. The consequences of the attack are unclear but could affect the ability of the opposition to campaign. One opposition official, who did not want to be named, said he feared a “major crackdown” following the blast. However Bulawayo, an opposition stronghold, remained calm on Saturday night with no evidence of reinforced security forces or operations, local journalists said. Mnangagwa said on Twitter that he was awaiting further information about the blast but added, without elaborating, that those responsible must have come from “outside Bulawayo.” He added: “I can assure you these are my normal enemies.” The November crisis was the culmination of a lengthy power struggle between a faction of young politicians led by Mugabe’s wife, Grace, and supporters of Manangagwa. So far the political environment in Zimbabwe is dramatically improved compared with previous elections. Respected human rights activists in Zimbabwe say that levels of harassment or intimidation remain relatively low. The MDC is holding rallies in Zanu-PF strongholds where previously it feared to set foot and has been allowed to march through central Harare. Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, said on Twitter: “Our prayers go out to the injured and we hope no lives have been lost. Violence must have no place in our politics. ” Opinion of Mnangagwa is divided among western diplomats and analysts in Harare. Some are convinced the president wants to be seen as the statesman who has restored democracy in Zimbabwe and who would step down if defeated. Others say Mnangagwa, known as the Crocodile, “does not have a democratic bone in his body”, but has pragmatically recognised the need to win international legitimacy if his country is to access the financial assistance it so desperately needs. Zimbabwe last had blasts at rallies in the 1980s, which had targeted Mugabe.<doc-sep>
ALERT: Several injured in Zimambwe blast, moments after Mnangagwa address The explosion occurred just as President Mnangagwa was leaving the stage after his rally at white city stadium. HARARE - An apparent explosion has injured several people at a rally held by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the country’s city of Bulawayo. State radio is reporting that the president is safe, but there are reports that several of his aides were injured by the blast. The explosion occurred just as President Mnangagwa was leaving the stage after his rally at White City Stadium. #Zimbabwe Assassination attempt speculation as suspected bomb goes off at a rally in Bulawayo today as President ED Mnangagwa was leaving the stage. pic.twitter.com/wqI9IFcPH9 — 👑 (@iAmAugustine_) June 23, 2018 Video footage circulated on social media showed medics attending to at least three people lying on the ground. The chaos comes as the country's elections are just over a month away. PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA UNHURT AFTER BLAST AT RALLY President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson said, adding the head of state was unhurt and taken to safety. “There has been an incident at Bulawayo (White City Stadium) where the president was addressing a rally. This is now a police issue but the president is safe at Bulawayo State House,” George Charamba told Reuters. “We are still to get information on what exactly happened as we understand that some people could have been injured as this happened in the VIP tent.” Police were not immediately available for comment. Footage from Zimbabwe state television showed the explosion took place near Mnangagwa as he waved to supporters. Mnangagwa was speaking at his first rally in the second city of Bulawayo, an opposition stronghold where the ruling ZANU-PF has not won in national elections since 2000. Zimbabwe holds its presidential election on 30 July, with 75-year-old Mnangagwa and 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the main contenders. (Additional reporting by Reuters)