Share

Zim VP Chiwenga 'is recovering well at a South African hospital', govt says

Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is in South Africa receiving treatment for injuries sustained during a blast at a ruling party rally in June, state media reported on Monday.

A grenade blast at an election rally in the second city Bulawayo killed two people and narrowly missed President Emmerson Mnangagwa while leaving Chiwenga with apparently superficial injuries.

"Chiwenga is recovering well at a South African hospital where he is receiving some thorough medical attention on the effects of the Bulawayo bombing incident in June, government has said," the state-run Herald daily reported online.

Chiwenga, 61, was the military general who led the ousting of veteran leader Robert Mugabe in November when the army briefly took control and ushered Mnangagwa to the presidency.

Police and security agencies have released few details about the investigation into the June 23 blast that injured 50 rally attendees.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

"A decision was then taken that now that elections are behind us, and also that the new government has been constituted, the general should now go for a thorough medical examination," presidential spokesman George Charamba told the Herald.

"The VP is very well and when I chatted with him he ended up barking orders to me."

Mnangagwa has accused aggrieved supporters of Mugabe's wife Grace of being behind the attack.

The rest of the electoral campaign and voting on July 30 passed without major incident but there was bloodshed on the streets of Harare on August 1 when opposition protesters were fired on by security forces.

Chiwenga, who has not been seen publicly for more than a week prompting speculation about his health, flew to South Africa on Tuesday, the Herald reported.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do airplane mishaps have any effect on which airline you book your flights with?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, these things happen. I pick based on price
48% - 1034 votes
Yes, my safety matters. I don't take any chances
52% - 1109 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.22
-0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.96
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.58
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.50
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.1%
Platinum
910.30
-0.2%
Palladium
997.50
-0.8%
Gold
2,314.26
-0.1%
Silver
27.09
-0.3%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,573
+0.8%
All Share
74,514
+0.7%
Resource 10
60,444
+1.4%
Industrial 25
104,013
+1.2%
Financial 15
15,836
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE