Emmerson Mnangagwa - Zimbabwe's New Hope with A Dark Past

Early on Friday morning a convoy of small trucks flying flags and banners left Kwekwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s scruffy, one-street home town i...

Early on Friday morning a convoy of small trucks flying flags and banners left Kwekwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s scruffy, one-street home town in central Zimbabwe, on the 160 mile journey to the capital Harare.

Some were waving small homemade stuffed fabric crocodiles - a tribute to the new Zimbabwean president’s nick-name from his days as a teenage guerrilla in the war against white-ruled Rhodesia. One of the banners simply read “Kutonga Kwaro Gamba” - a Shona phrase praising the king’s rule.

Emmerson Mnangagwa - Zimbabwe's New Hope with A Dark Past

But these supporters were neither native Shona speakers, nor from Zanu PF's traditional support base. They were white farmers, and they had a very specific reason for supporting "Ngwenya" - "The Crocodile”.

“I am still on my farm because of Mnangagwa," said a white farmer, who asked not to be named. "Although the size of the farm was reduced, but I kept the larger piece because of my excellent relationship ... Emmerson Mnangagwa - Zimbabwe's New Hope with A Dark Past.