HARARE – The long-standing feud between Zimbabwe’s former Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) Director-General Happyton Bonyongwe and Zanu PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa has escalated, following Bonyongwe’s release of a memoir detailing their turbulent history. The book, titled One Among Many: My Contribution to the Zimbabwean Story, sheds light on previously undisclosed reasons behind the hostility between the two political figures.
Bonyongwe claims he has never fully understood Mutsvangwa’s deep-seated animosity towards him but offers insights into potential reasons in his memoir. One pivotal moment in their conflict occurred during Zimbabwe’s November 2017 coup, which led to the removal of the late President Robert Mugabe. Mutsvangwa, a vocal supporter of the coup, allegedly viewed Bonyongwe as an obstacle to the military intervention. According to Bonyongwe, Mutsvangwa and others pushed for military commanders to act against him during the coup.
In the memoir, Bonyongwe recounts an incident on November 20, 2017, when Mutsvangwa walked into the parliament in Harare and saw Bonyongwe discussing the unfolding situation with Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda. Mutsvangwa reportedly walked out without greeting them, suspecting that Bonyongwe was trying to undermine the coup. Bonyongwe, however, insists that they were merely discussing parliamentary schedules, given his role as Leader of Government Business at the time.
During the coup, Mutsvangwa accused Bonyongwe of being involved in efforts to organize a counter-coup alongside Mugabe and some former ministers, allegations that Bonyongwe denies. He says that Mugabe even instructed him to contact the late Air Marshal Perence Shiri, who was abroad, to return and take command of security forces to thwart the coup—a plan that ultimately failed.
After the coup, Mutsvangwa publicly called for Bonyongwe and former Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to be held accountable for alleged human rights violations under Mugabe’s administration. He described the CIO, under Bonyongwe’s leadership, as being at the center of corruption and abuses during Mugabe’s reign. “All the rot which forced the people of Zimbabwe to suffer so much… would have been corrected if the CIO and the police had done their job,” Mutsvangwa said at the time.
Bonyongwe’s memoir also addresses further incidents that exacerbated their hostilities, including disagreements over the Chinese-funded Farmers’ World Farm Mechanisation Scheme, in which the CIO was a shareholder. Mutsvangwa reportedly accused the CIO of mismanaging funds, while Bonyongwe argued that Mutsvangwa and other beneficiaries failed to repay their loans, leading to the scheme’s losses. Bonyongwe pointed out that he had not personally taken anything from the program, while Mutsvangwa had obtained equipment valued at US$67,000 without repayment.
Bonyongwe further recalls a 2015 encounter at a Harare restaurant, Victoria 22, where he greeted Mutsvangwa, who was dining with the then-British ambassador. According to Bonyongwe, Mutsvangwa later sent a letter to then-President Mugabe, accusing him of behaving in an “undiplomatic manner” and likening him to security officers from the liberation struggle era. Bonyongwe believes that this incident further soured their relationship, fueling Mutsvangwa’s grievances against him.
The tensions between Bonyongwe and Mutsvangwa became even more evident during the coup and its aftermath, as Mutsvangwa pushed for accountability for alleged corruption and abuses. Bonyongwe’s memoir offers a rare insight into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of Zimbabwe’s political struggles, revealing the deep divisions among those who once served in the same government.