Kasukuwere: I’m back to take over Zimbabwe

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Exiled ex-minister Kasukuwere joins presidential race in Zimbabwe

Mugabe’s ally challenges Mnangagwa in presidential bid
Zimbabwe’s exiled ex-minister joins race for presidency

Saviour Kasukuwere, a former cabinet minister who fled Zimbabwe after a military coup in 2017, has announced his intention to run for president in the upcoming general elections in August.

Kasukuwere, who served as the national political commissar of the ruling Zanu PF party under former president Robert Mugabe, said he was responding to the “loud and clear” calls from his supporters to challenge the incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“Zimbabwe is home for all of us. We have answered that call,” Kasukuwere told Zimbabwe Observer from his base in South Africa.

Kasukuwere is seen as a leader of the G40 faction within Zanu PF, which opposed Mnangagwa’s rise to power and backed Mugabe’s wife Grace as his successor.

He was among the prominent figures who were targeted by the military intervention that ousted Mugabe and installed Mnangagwa in November 2017.

He briefly returned to Zimbabwe in 2018 but faced arrest and prosecution on charges of corruption and abuse of office. He later left the country again and has been living in exile since then.

He said he was not afraid of facing the wrath of Mnangagwa’s regime and vowed to bring change to the crisis-hit nation.

“We have no fear. We are ready to take on the challenge and offer a new vision for Zimbabwe,” he said.

Kasukuwere’s entry into the presidential race adds a new dimension to what was expected to be a tight contest between Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

Analysts say Kasukuwere could attract some disgruntled voters from both Zanu PF and CCC, as well as from other smaller parties that have endorsed him as a “changed man”.

However, he also faces many hurdles, such as securing a political platform, mobilising resources and campaigning in a hostile environment.

He is also likely to face resistance from some sections of the society who view him as part of the corrupt and oppressive system that has ruined Zimbabwe for decades.