Mnangagwa Says He Was Poisoned With Toxin Only Found In Russia And Israel, Says He Is Still Good Friends With Poisoner

President Emmerson Mnangagwa revealed more details of his poisoning episode. The president is alleged to have been poisoned while he was attending a Youth Interface Rally in Gwanda last year and had to be airlifted to South Africa for treatment. In an interview with Alec Russell, editor of the Financial Times Weekend, Mnangagwa alleged that he had been poisoned with an exotic toxin which is only available in Russia and Israel. He added that he knew who was behind the poisoning attempt although they remained on good terms. Said Mnangagwa:

 …they say it was called a hard metal arsenic toxin. Arsenic toxin, something like that. That’s the class of poison. And it’s not easy to come round with it. They say it is colourless, it is tasteless, and the areas where it could be found are possibly two. Three initially, professors in that area eliminated this one, and it was left with two countries. Russia and Israel. So it’s possible it came from Russia.

They were surprised that I survived because then you’ve heart attack, what they called cardiac arrest. Then the verdict of death would be death by cardiac arrest. So they kept me, you know, washing this out, I had something like 28 one side, you know, what do they call these sachets? In one side. And then the other side to wash the stuff out. So last week. This was in August. Last week I went there. They have now declared that I am now OK. It’s not visible anymore. The poison was testable, but not totally clear. But it means it’s not testable. That’s what they said. So maybe I’m the same club with you.

I suspect who did it . . . They are still good friends of mine . . . They now know that I know.

Mnangagwa is suspected to have ingested the toxin via a poisoned ice cream, which some claimed was from former first lady Grace Mugabe’s Gushungo Diaries.  Avowed supporter of the president, businessman Energy Mutodi once alleged that former Minister of Defence Sydney Sekeramayi and Minister of Health David Parirenyatwa were the two people suspected of poisoning Mnangagwa.

On a visit to Angola last week, the president is reported to have said that his doctors had given him a clean bill of health as he no longer had traces of the poisonous compound. Said Mnangagwa:

You have heard about me being taken ill at a rally in Gwanda. I am not so clear as to at what stage I took the poison, but I took it. I was airlifted to South Africa and I recovered; that’s why I am here. I am aware that the poison content at the time was around 361 percent, but after six days it came down to about 11 percent. I am happy that last week I was declared (poison) free. It is now undetectable. So we are the same now in terms of poison content.

More: Financial Times, Herald