Mutsvangwa Accuses VP Chiwenga Of Plotting, Claims 2018 White City Bombing Was an Inside Job

Mutsvangwa Takes Shocking Shots At Chiwenga, Claims 2018 White City Bombing Was an Inside Job

Zanu PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa has reignited controversy over the 2018 White City Stadium grenade attack, claiming it was an “inside job” plotted by insiders linked to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga. He made the explosive remarks during a press briefing in Harare on 16 October 2025, just one day before President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to open the Zanu PF annual conference in Mutare.

The White City Stadium Bombing

On 23 June 2018, a grenade exploded at White City Stadium in Bulawayo shortly after Mnangagwa addressed a campaign rally.

Two people were killed and dozens were injured, including Vice-Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, as well as senior party official Oppah Muchinguri. Mnangagwa himself escaped unscathed, later telling reporters:

“It is not my time.”

Initial investigations produced conflicting accounts. Suspects were arrested and later released, while internal security agencies appeared divided. In 2024, detectives revisited the scene with Chinese investigators, but no conclusive findings were made public.

Blame Shifts Over The Years

In the immediate aftermath, Mnangagwa suggested the blast may have been linked to Grace Mugabe’s G40 faction, which had been sidelined after the 2017 coup. He told international media the attack could have been staged by those “still bitter” about Mugabe’s ouster.

Years later, in 2025, Mutsvangwa presented a very different version.

According to TheNewsHawks, he claimed:

“That was an inside job. They wanted to assassinate President Mnangagwa on 23 June 2018 at White City Stadium.”

He did not provide evidence, and the allegation remains unverified.

The shift from blaming G40 in 2018 to accusing Chiwenga’s allies in 2025 underscores how the bombing has been repeatedly weaponised in Zanu PF’s succession wars.

Mutsvangwa’s Verbal Assault On Chiwenga

In his press conference, Mutsvangwa also launched personal attacks on Chiwenga, branding him a “mucheka dzafa” (an opportunist).

He said:

“Chiwenga behaves as if he is the only one who went to war. Yet he only joined the Zanla front deep and late in 1978 in Mozambique.”

Mutsvangwa alleged that Chiwenga was plotting to topple Mnangagwa using proxies such as war veterans’ leader Blessed Geza, and accused him of mobilising for a “one million man march” set for 17 October 2025 in Mutare.

“Kangaroo Court” And Succession Fight

Mutsvangwa also condemned a document written by Chiwenga, which criticised corruption and succession issues.

He said:

“Chiwenga wanted to turn the presidium into a Kangaroo Court. His plan boomeranged. He is now isolated in a sideshow.”

At the same briefing, Mutsvangwa praised Mnangagwa for steady leadership and hailed the late Zanu chairman Herbert Chitepo, assassinated in Lusaka in 1975, for building early ties with China.

His words came just before Mnangagwa’s keynote speech at the party conference, where factional battles and the President’s push to extend his rule beyond a second term are set to dominate proceedings.