BULAWAYO – Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has left Zimbabwe for a medical review with his doctors in China, according to the presidency.
Chiwenga was last seen publicly on May 11, attending the silver jubilee of Roman Catholic Archbishop Robert Ndlovu’s ordination in Harare alongside President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Since then, he missed three significant events attended by Mnangagwa last week, prompting inquiries about his whereabouts.
Presidency spokesman George Charamba confirmed Chiwenga’s trip, stating, “He went out for his medicals,” in a brief response to ZimLive.
The 68-year-old vice president underwent major surgery in China in 2019 to correct a condition that narrowed his esophagus. This marks his second confirmed medical appointment in China within five months.
In January, during his annual leave, Chiwenga also traveled to China for what a presidency spokesman described as a “routine medical check-up with his physicians.”
Chiwenga is widely considered a potential successor to President Mnangagwa, who is currently serving his second and final term set to end in 2028.
