As the world watches and waits for change in Zimbabwe, there are questions over what newly appointed Zanu-PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa, will deliver. Qualified as a lawyer and once billed as a “hardliner to the core” by political analysts, Mnangagwa (75) has been part of Mugabe’s government since Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980 when Mugabe appointed him as minister for national security. Dubbed “The Crocodile” (Ngwenya) for his tough leadership stance, he has since occupied a number of Cabinet positions. In 2008, he was made Mugabe’s chief election agent during a tough electoral process where elections were marred by violence and allegations of rigging. That same year Mnangagwa took over as head of the Joint Operations Command, a committee of security and he was highlighted as a “matter of concern” in subsequent European Union (EU) and United States sanctions imposed on Mugabe and his close allies over the violent elections. His most recent post in the government was as vicepresident but he was fired by Mugabe in what was thought to be a bid to pave the way for first lady, Grace Mugabe, to succeed her husband. While some analysts have expressed concern that rule under the known “hard-liner” would not necessarily be the bed of roses many Zimbabweans are expecting, organisation development specialist Dr Mongezi Makhalima said communities were increasingly demanding more democratic leadership. The hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans who took to the streets in Harare this weekend demanding Mugabe’s resignation demonstrated that the “tide was turning” and voters would hold their leaders more accountable for good governance, he said.
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