Emmerson Mnangagwa

Emmerson Mnangagwa (born September 15, 1942, Zvishavane, Southern Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe]) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as president of Zimbabwe since 2017. Mnangagwa is a veteran of Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), one of the country’s liberation movements and, later, the ruling party. He has won two elections (2018, 2023) since replacing longtime strongman Robert Mugabe as president, but both polls were plagued by claims of fraud. Mnangagwa previously served as the country’s vice president and held several ministerial posts under Mugabe. He has been the leader of ZANU-PF since 2017 and is known as the “Crocodile”—he once said of the comparison to the reptile, “It strikes at the appropriate time.”

Early years and education

Mnangagwa was born to a farming family in the mining town of Zvishavane, in what was then the British colony of Southern Rhodesia. Because of his father’s activism against white settlers, the family had to flee to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). That activist streak was passed on to Mnangagwa, who joined the liberation movement against British rule, leading to his expulsion from college in 1960. Mnangagwa joined the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) in 1962, but the next year, when the organization splintered, he opted to join the faction that became known as ZANU-PF. Mnangagwa received military training in the early 1960s in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Egypt, and China. In 1965 he was sentenced to death after taking part in a sabotage operation that exploded a train in Fort Victoria (now Masvingo, Zimbabwe), but his punishment was reduced to 10 years of imprisonment. After Mnangagwa was released, he received a degree in law from the University of Zambia.

Mugabe ally

Shortly after his admission to the Bar of the High Court of Zambia, Mnangagwa went to Mozambique, one of the neighboring countries used as a base for Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. In 1977 Mnangagwa was selected to be an assistant to Mugabe, who was one of the leaders of the liberation movement. They were together when Mugabe negotiated the end of the white-led government of Rhodesia that led to the birth of Zimbabwe and 1980 elections, which ZANU-PF won in a landslide. Mugabe became prime minister, and in 1987 he became the country’s first executive president, consolidating one-party rule that would last for decades.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Mnangagwa would serve in Mugabe’s government for many years, holding posts that included minister of justice and minister of defense. He also oversaw the Central Intelligence Organization in the mid-1980s, a tenure stained by allegations that he had a role in Operation Gukurahundi—“cleansing rain” in the Shona language—that killed thousands of political dissidents and civilians, mostly from the Ndebele ethnic group. Mnangagwa has denied any responsibility for the atrocities.

Ascension to the presidency

In 2014 Mnangagwa replaced Joice Mujuru, a veteran of the war against Rhodesia’s white government, as vice president of Zimbabwe, after Mugabe’s wife, Grace, attacked Mujuru’s character. Mujuru had been seen as a possible successor to Mugabe, who was 89 when he was inaugurated in 2013. But just a few years later, in 2017, the president’s wife turned her animus toward Mnangagwa, as did Mugabe. On November 6 Mugabe fired Mnangagwa, who then fled the country; Mnangagwa was later expelled from ZANU-PF, and it appeared the Mugabes and some of their supporters were angling for Grace to be in position to eventually become Zimbabwe’s next president. However, Zimbabwe’s military, displeased with the dismissal of liberation war veterans such as Mujuru and Mnangagwa, seized power on November 15 and placed Mugabe under house arrest. Thousands of people demonstrated in the streets demanding that the strongman step down, and after ZANU-PF started impeachment efforts against him in Parliament, he did so, ending a 37-year reign. Mnangagwa returned home and was inaugurated interim president on November 24, promising economic and political reforms. He was also named the new leader of ZANU-PF as well as the party’s candidate in the 2018 presidential election, decisions which were ratified at the party’s Extraordinary Congress the next month.

President

In the 2018 presidential election, Mnangagwa won a five-year term as president, with about 51 percent of the vote, beating opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. But the results were plagued by allegations of fraud. Chamisa claimed that he was the rightful winner. During Mnangagwa’s first full term in office, corruption, rocketing inflation, and unemployment remained problems. That was in part the legacy of Mugabe’s government, but the new president was unable, or unwilling, to stem the problems.

Mnangagwa faced Chamisa and nine other candidates in the 2023 presidential election. Mnangagwa was once again declared the winner, having won about 53 percent. And once again there were claims of fraud. Chamisa and the opposition rejected the results, and outside observers criticized the election, too. “During the election process, fundamental freedoms were increasingly curtailed...which resulted in a climate of fear,” the European Union mission said in a statement. “The election process fell short of many regional and international standards, including equality, universality, and transparency.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mnangagwa wrote, “This victory is a testament to the power of unity and progress. Together, we will continue building a brighter future for Zimbabwe.”

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

The experience of many Zimbabwean citizens, however, differed from Mnangagwa’s view: Although he had entered office with promises of economic progress and democratic reforms, they had not come to pass. Instead, there was an increase in repressive measures, and corruption remained rampant. Nor was there economic growth, though that was in part because of outside factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the economy and poor weather conditions negatively impacting agriculture.

During Mnangagwa’s second term, there was a push by some ZANU-PF members to have him extend his time as president of Zimbabwe, either by a third term or by having his second term (due to end in 2028) extended by two years. It generated controversy and galvanized opposition to those measures within the party. Though Mnangagwa repeatedly insisted he would step down at the end of his term in 2028—Zimbabwe’s constitution limits a president to two terms—efforts persisted. In March 2025 small demonstrations in protest of Mnangagwa’s rule and any extension of his term were held throughout the country, and there were calls for him to resign. Demonstrations were led by the ZANU-PF faction against a term extension for him and supported Constantino Chiwenga, the former head of the military and liberation war veteran who currently served as one of the country’s vice presidents, to fill the top spot. The term extension talk laid bare the schism within the party between supporters of Mnangagwa and Chiwenga that had been brewing.

Sanctions and corruption allegations

Beginning in the early 2000s, Mnangagwa and some of his family members and associates have been subject to various sanctions and travel bans from the European Union, the United States, and other countries for alleged connections to human rights abuses and having undermined the democratic process in Zimbabwe. In 2024 the United States also specifically accused Mnangagwa of protecting Zimbabwe gold and diamond smugglers in exchange for bribes as well as serious human rights abuses relating to his tenure as a government official.