By Munacho Gwamanda- The ailing co-Vice President Kembo Mohadi has publicly thrown his support behind President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s controversial #ED2030 campaign despite his persistent health challenges and the ongoing power struggles within ZANU PF.
On Monday, Mohadi, who has suffered multiple public health scares, made the remarks while mourning the late national hero and former Manicaland governor, Tinaye Chigudu.
Chigudu, who succumbed to a long illness last Wednesday at his Mt Pleasant home in Harare, is set to be buried today at the National Heroes Acre.
Mohadi’s ill health has been a matter of public concern for years.
The 74-year-old politician has collapsed on several occasions while attending official functions, fueling speculation about his ability to continue in office.
Despite these setbacks, Mohadi has remained a key figure in Mnangagwa’s administration, even after being fired in 2021 following a sex scandal.
He was quietly reinstated in 2023 as the second Vice President, serving alongside Constantino Chiwenga, in a move widely seen as Mnangagwa’s strategy to maintain a delicate balance of power within the party.
Mohadi’s endorsement of Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 agenda is seen as a calculated move to solidify his allegiance to the President amid intensifying power struggles with his deputy, Chiwenga.
The fissures between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga have been growing, with the former army general increasingly asserting himself in political and military affairs.
Chiwenga, who led the 2017 coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, has long been viewed as the heir apparent to Mnangagwa.
However, Mnangagwa’s push for a third term—despite constitutional limits—has deepened tensions.
The inclusion of Mohadi, a longtime Mnangagwa loyalist, in high-profile engagements such as the #ED2030 campaign appears to be a bid to counterbalance Chiwenga’s growing influence.
In a statement issued through his Chief-of-Staff, Clever Chirume, Mohadi expressed his sorrow over Chigudu’s passing, linking it to the broader struggle for Zimbabwe’s development.
“The Vice President joins His Excellency the President and the nation in mourning Cde Tinaye Chigudu, who has since been declared a national hero. It is sad that yet another gallant son of the liberation struggle has died a few weeks after we buried four others,” said Mohadi.
“Furthermore, it is unfortunate that those of us who participated first-hand in the liberation struggle are now leaving when their wisdom and guidance are still required. This is the generation that demonstrated loyalty and resilience against the colonial regime, qualities we require to attain Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle-income society.”
Born on August 13, 1942, Chigudu played a crucial role in Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
After being expelled from Harare Secondary School in 1964 due to his political activism, he joined ZAPU and received military training in North Korea as a ZIPRA cadre.
Upon returning, he was deployed as an intelligence officer but was captured in 1965 and detained for 12 years in Gonakudzingwa, Gweru, and Whawha prisons.
Following his release in 1977, Chigudu exiled himself to the UK, where he studied law at Exeter University between 1978 and 1981.
Returning to Zimbabwe, he held various government positions, including Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs and later for Mines and Mining Development.
He served as the Governor and Resident Minister of Manicaland from 2005 until his retirement in 2008.
Chigudu also worked as a senior consultant under the United Nations Development Programme, helping structure the Ministry of Interior for South Sudan.
He is survived by his wife, Esther Chigudu (nee Dumba), and seven children.
