President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly ordered a consolidated investigation into a series of criminal incidents targeting his family.
This includes re-opening the probe into a grenade attack that occurred at a ZANU PF campaign rally held at White City Stadium in Bulawayo in 2018.
According to <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/paranoid-mnangagwa-orders-reopening-of-white-city-bomb-probe/">ZimLive</a>, Mnangagwa is increasingly concerned for his security after several security breaches, some involving his family. A source was quoted as saying:
<blockquote>
He wants answers from the security arms of the state, starting with unravelling what happened at White City.
</blockquote>
On July 23, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) released a photograph of an individual they suspect may have been involved in the 2018 grenade attack at a ZANU PF rally in Bulawayo that narrowly missed killing Mnangagwa.
However, the ZRP deceptively claimed the man was wanted for a separate fraud case involving $300,000, and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his identification.
According to ZimLive, the man’s picture had actually been distributed to all police stations across Zimbabwe back in 2018 and 2019, but authorities were never able to positively identify him at the time.
The police also allegedly published the image in the state-run Chronicle newspaper, falsely claiming that a desperate relative was seeking the man.
Investigators reviewing video footage from various news organizations reportedly concluded that the man in the photo was a potential suspect, as the footage allegedly showed him changing his clothing, including his cap and t-shirt, around the time of the grenade attack.
The blast killed two Central Intelligence Organisation agents and wounded 47 others, including Vice President Kembo Mohadi and Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri.
Eyewitnesses claim the grenade was thrown at the VIP tent as President Mnangagwa was exiting the stage to leave the stadium.
While it would have landed within a metre of the President, the grenade reportedly ricocheted off a tent mounting and changed direction, potentially saving Mnangagwa’s life.
Now, over five years later, Mnangagwa has ordered a consolidated investigation into this attack and other criminal incidents targeting his family.
This includes the recent July 2024 incident where his plane flying home from Mozambique was reportedly targeted by someone using lasers to blind the pilots on approach to the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
The President’s directive to re-examine the 2018 White City Stadium attack comes just days after break-ins at the private homes of Mnangagwa, his son David Kudakwashe (the Deputy Minister of Finance and Investment Promotion), and his nephew Tongai Mafidi (the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry).
In March 2024, Mnangagwa fired Airforce of Zimbabwe commander Elson Moyo after he was forced to abort a landing at Victoria Falls International Airport due to an emailed bomb scare. The threat was allegedly made by someone signing off as “John Doe.”
Following all these incidents, Mnangagwa has now ordered a special task force to be established to investigate all of these concerning events.
The assignment of this consolidated investigation has reportedly been given to detectives from the Harare Central Police Station’s Law and Order section.
They will be tasked with coordinating across various agencies in the hunt for suspects and to determine if there are any links between these diverse criminal incidents targeting the President and his family.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

President Mnangagwa wants to know who was behind a grenade attack at a rally in 2018. He is worried about his safety and his family's safety. Police released a photo of a suspect, but he was not caught. Now, Mnangagwa is ordering a new investigation into this attack and other incidents targeting his family. Someone also tried to blind pilots on his plane with lasers. Mnangagwa fired a commander after a bomb scare. A special team will investigate all these incidents to find out who is responsible.

Mnangagwa Orders Reopening Of Probe Into White City Grenade Attack

A gardener from Bulawayo who lost four fingers when a hand grenade he was using as a key holder exploded on him is now appealing for assistance.
The man, Gidmore Kangwembe (47) who is admitted to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), said he can no longer fend for his family because of the injuries he sustained.
Kangwembe said he found the grenade on New Year’s Day when he was on a piece job in Burnside where he was tasked with cutting grass.
He said when he saw the grenade, he didn’t realise that it was a dangerous object. He said he used it as a key holder. Said Kangwembe:
<blockquote>
It was on a Sunday and I went to this other yard for a piece job and I was with a friend of mine. While cutting grass I then picked this thing that I didn’t know.
I asked my friend what it was but he couldn’t provide an answer too. We both didn’t suspect that it could be dangerous.
I then took it and used it as my key holder up until Thursday at around 3 PM when I decided to check what exactly it was.
While still investigating to find out what it could be it exploded and shredded four fingers from my right hand.
</blockquote>
Kangwembe, a father to four, fears his children were going to suffer as his job was the only source of income for his family. He said:
<blockquote>
I am a father of four, my wife is not working. Now that I’m still in hospital no one is providing for my family and with the condition I am in right now I don’t know when I’m going to be discharged, let alone start working with one hand hence my appeal to well-wishers to help me and my family. Those willing to assist can contact us on 0777302874.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/gardener-who-lost-fingers-to-keyholder-grenade-appeals-for-help/">The Sunday News</a>

Gardener Who Lost 4 Fingers To "Keyholder" Grenade Appeals For Assistance

A 47-year-old man from Burnside, Bulawayo narrowly escaped death after a grenade he had been using as a key holder exploded in his hands.
Police said the man, who is a gardener, had been moving around with the grenade for almost two weeks, oblivious to the fact that he was carrying a deadly object.
ZRP spokesperson in Bulawayo Province, Inspector Abednico Ncube said the man found the grenade on 1 January and showed it to his friend who also didn’t recognise that it was a dangerous object. Said Insp Ncube:
<blockquote>
On January 12 at around 3 PM, he pulled the safety pin of the hand grenade and it exploded twice in his right hand.
He was injured on the right-hand palm and was taken to United Bulawayo Hospital where he is currently admitted.
Four right-hand fingers and half of the palm have been amputated.
Members of the public are hereby advised and warned to take or consider any unknown metal as a dangerous object.
Regrettably, a 47-year-old male took a deadly grenade for a key holder.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/gardener-loses-four-fingers-after-the-grenade-he-used-as-the-key-holder-explodes/">Chronicle</a>

Bulawayo Gardener Uses Grenade As Key Holder

A resident of Bulawayo’s Montrose suburb discovered a LIVE grenade while cultivating his field on Monday morning.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the incident to CITE, saying a bomb disposal unit was immediately dispatched when the incident was reported to police officers manning ZBC studios in the suburb.
ZRP spokesperson in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Inspector Abednico Ncube, said the Montrose resident picked up the grenade, inspected it to find out what it was and then placed it on the edge of his field. He said:
<blockquote>
The grenade was found in a bush, along Corner Dundee and Ullswater Road in Montrose.
This person was cultivating his field when he discovered the grenade.
The man then lifted it from the ground and placed it on the edge of his field.
The man went to Montrose Studios to report because he knew there would be police officers.
The bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene and detonated it.
… Members of the bomb disposal unit are professionals and they know what to do in such a situation.
The grenade might have been left some time ago as its age is not known.
</blockquote>
Inspector Ncube advised both elders and children to desist from picking up suspicious objects, as these could be dangerous. He said:
<blockquote>
Rather leave the object where it is and report to the police so it can be attended to professionally.
Some of these objects like in this case can turn out to be dangerous.
It is common that in most of the instances and in some of the areas where explosive objects have been found, people may pick them up while children play around with them, trying to crush or open it.
We have lost lives sometimes through such negligence.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://cite.org.zw/use-of-chamisa-face-as-election-symbol-not-occultism/">CITE</a></h4>

Grenade Found In Montrose

A suspected grenade explosion killed two children from Majindane area in Nyamandlovu on Friday morning.
A 13-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother were killed instantly, leaving their body parts scattered at the Mthethwa homestead in Ward 10 in Nyamandlovu.
Reports indicate that the children were washing the dishes in the yard, while the mother of the deceased was in the kitchen when she heard a loud bang. A neighbour told CITE:
<blockquote>We were working in our community garden with the mother of the deceased children. She then returned home and barely 30 minutes later when we heard a massive explosion.
People ran to the scene and the mother, who was in the kitchen, rushed out to find her two children lying on the ground with some of their body parts all over the place.
We then picked up the body parts and covered the deceased with blankets. The explosion was so massive that all the plates and other utensils were reduced to fragments.</blockquote>
The police were called to the scene and they came and collected the remains of the two children.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the incident but said she did not have the results from the army bomb disposal unit that carried out investigations.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.cite.org.zw/developing-suspected-grenade-explosion-kills-2-children-in-nyamandlovu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CITE</a></h4>

Suspected Grenade Explosion Kills 2 Children In Matabeleland North

State owned newspapers allege journalist Zenzele Ndebele was arrested after he was found in possession of items that looked like grenades.
The publications add that Ndebele was also arrested for conduct likely to breach the maintenance of public peace. The report goes on to state that preliminary indications are that the objects Ndebele had could have been chemical weapon cannisters such as teargas, likely to be thrown in an offensive posture.
A security source quoted by State owned publications said Ndebele was found with suspicious articles used by security agents. The source said:
<blockquote>(His arrest) it has to do with his conduct that was likely to breach the maintenance law and order. He was likely to breach maintenance of public peace considering that this was a public gathering. So he had no reason at all to go into that gathering carrying some items which in actual fact are items which are used by security services and he is not a member of the security services. The law is very clear no one should go into any public gathering carrying items which legally no one would be allowed to be in possession of. He had no reason at all to carry those items to the gathering. Whatever he was carrying he had no reason to be in possession of those items.</blockquote>
<hr/>
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<h3 class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/03/21/jornalist-zenzele-ndebele-arrested-report/" rel="bookmark">UPDATED: ‘Gukurahundi Journalist’ Zenzele Ndebele Arrested – Report</a></h3>
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More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/activist-takes-grenades-to-state-house-nabbed/">Herald</a>

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