HARARE
–
Vice
President
Kembo
Mohadi
has
advised
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
that
he
wants
to
retire,
multiple
government
sources
have
told
ZimLive.
His
retirement
would
open
up
a
vacancy
in
the
presidium
and
add
more
intrigue
to
Zanu
PF’s
leadership
battles.
Mohadi
has
been
battling
poor
health
for
years,
but
he
has
recently
found
the
demands
of
his
job
too
exerting.
The
75-year-old
has
had
at
least
three
alarming
incidents
of
collapsing
in
public.
As
acting
president
for
18
days
in
January,
he
made
a
single
public
appearance
–
a
news
conference
conducted
whilst
sitting
down
and
during
which
his
voice
repeatedly
trailed
off.
A
source
briefed
on
the
developments
said:
“He
is
spending
more
time
indisposed
than
at
work.
He
has
made
the
decision
himself
that
he
wants
to
retire,
and
the
president
has
accepted
his
decision.
It’s
now
just
a
matter
of
timing
how
and
when
they
make
it
official.”
Mohadi
had
spells
as
home
affairs
and
later
state
security
minister
before
becoming
vice
president
in
2017.
He
resigned
in
shame
in
March
2021
after
ZimLive
published
voice
recordings
which
revealed
a
string
of
affairs
including
with
married
women,
among
them
a
state
security
agent
whose
husband
was
protecting
both
Mnangagwa
and
Mohadi
at
Munhumutapa.
Mnangagwa
reportedly
intends
to
appoint
current
Zimbabwe
Defence
Forces
commander
General
Phillip
Valerio
Sibanda
as
vice
president
when
Mohadi
leaves,
effectively
pitting
him
against
the
second
vice
president
Constantino
Chiwenga
who
is
currently
the
frontrunner
to
become
the
next
Zanu
PF
leader.
Mnangagwa’s
spokesman
George
Charamba
declined
to
comment.