Gen Constantine Chiwenga: The army chief who took power from Mugabe

Gen Constantine Chiwenga, 61, is being hailed as a political saviour after he led the military takeover in Zimbabwe, however he is under sanctions from the European Union and the US – for his role in a brutal crackdown on the opposition, and over the seizure of white-owned farms.
Zimbabweans took to the streets on Saturday to demand President Robert Mugabe’s resignation, holding aloft placards which declared: “Zimbabwe army – the voice of the people.”
Pastor Patrick Mugadza, hounded by the police in January this year for predicting that the 93-year-old leader would die in nine months’ time, went as far as to announce that he intended to name his son after the general.
“My wife is very, very pregnant. When the boy comes, I will be naming him after you, General Chiwenga,” Zimbabwe’s privately owned NewsDay newspaper quoted him as saying in an audio message.

Yet, Gen Chiwenga played a central role in keeping Mr Mugabe in power after he lost elections to his main rival, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), in 2008, amid reports that Mr Mugabe was going to accept defeat.

“He told Mugabe: ‘We can’t lose elections. We can’t hand power to the MDC. We are going to obliterate them,” UK-based Africa confidential magazine editor Patrick Smith told the BBC, adding that he carried out the operation with Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man Gen Chiwenga is trying to install as Mr Mugabe’s successor as president.
“They are joined at the hip, with Mnangagwa the senior partner,” Mr Smith said.
After a long delay, the official results were announcing, saying that Mr Tsvangirai had not gained the 50% required for victory and so a second round was needed. Before the run-off, pro-Zanu-PF militias backed by the security forces attacked opposition supporters around the country, beating, raping and killing.
Mr Tsvangirai pulled out of the second round and Mr Mugabe remained in power.
A woman cries during a press conference in Harare on April 29, 2008 as she gives her testimony of post-election violence.Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
This opposition supporter was one of thousands who said their homes were attacked by pro-Zanu-PF militias
‘Caught cheating’
Gen Chiwenga joined the guerrilla war against white minority rule in the then Rhodesia as a teenager and got military training in Mozambique and Tanzania.
After independence, he received British training, as a new army, made up of ex-guerrillas and soldiers of the former white minority regime, was formed.