General Sibanda Helped Mnangagwa Escape When Mugabe Fired Him: Chiwenga

Vice President Chiwenga revealed how Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda helped President Mnangagwa escape after he was fired by Robert Mugabe.

Addressing mourners at the burial of Gogo Yowana Kubvoruno, mother to General Sibanda, in Gokwe’s Dera area yesterday, Chiwenga said at his instruction, Sibanda played an important role in facilitating Mnangagwa’s escape to Mozambique.Said Chiwenga:

Today I want to tell you something I had never told anyone, a secret that has been between me and General Sibanda whose mother we are burying today.

At the height of the madness that had rocked the country in November last year with senior officials in Government being rebuked in public places, a development which culminated in the dismissal of President Mnangagwa from Government and his then position as Vice-President of the Republic. I was out of the country in China on duty. General Sibanda then phoned to deliver to me the sad developments and I asked him what we were supposed to do. We then had a discussion and I said to him, this man’s life is in danger. He might be killed, please do everything possible to make sure that he (President Mnangagwa) gets out of the country safe and alive. Gen Sibanda acted on that instruction and the President was taken out safely.

Chiwenga said Sibanda dispatched three security details who escorted Mnangagwa out of the country before they returned into Zimbabwe through the Mozambique border despite the fact that one of them had no passport.