Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s president-to-be, said he had to flee as he was going to be “eliminated” by Robert Mugabe’s government:
tTTHE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE, YOU WHO ARE GATHERED HERE TO RECEIVE ME, MAY I SAY IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD I THANK YOU CONSIDERABLY.
EXACTLY 16 DAYS AGO I RECEIVED A LETTER FIRING ME FROM GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE AS VICE-PRESIDENT WITHIN TWO HOURS I WAS INFORMED ABOUT PLANS TO ELIMINATE ME.
He then went on to refer to a previous attempt to eliminate him:
REALISING THAT ON THE 12 AUGUST THIS YEAR I WAS SUBJECTED TO POISONING THAT RESULTED IN MY BEING AIRLIFTED TO SOUTH AFRICA.
I SURVIVED THAT POISONING. THIS TIME AROUND I SAID TO MYSELF, ‘I SHOULD NOT WAIT FOR THEM TO ELIMINATE ME – LET ME GO OUT AND LET ME GO OUT AND WITH YOU THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.’”
