The video, which carries the title ‘Watch Vp Chiwenga-watora-makeys ese ekuno-chengeterwa-Zvombo ku KG6 Mnangagwa-is in panic’ in a mix of Shona and English, claims that the former army general has taken control of the central ordnance store that houses the bulk of Zimbabwe’s military arsenal. No independent verification of the claim has been possible, and the Zimbabwean government has not issued any official statement.
The Allegation
KG6, the Zimbabwe National Army’s main ammunition and weapons depot located about 20 kilometres south of Harare, is considered one of the most sensitive military installations in the country. The allegation that Chiwenga, a retired general who led the 2017 military intervention that ousted Robert Mugabe, has personally taken possession of the keys suggests a dramatic escalation in the long-simmering rivalry between the vice president and Mnangagwa.
The video’s claim — that Chiwenga ‘took all the keys’ to the storage facility — implies that he now holds physical control over the weapons that would be needed in any military confrontation. Political analysts caution that if true, such a move would represent an extraordinary breach of protocol and a direct challenge to Mnangagwa’s command authority.
Background: A Brewing Rivalry
The relationship between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga has been fraught since the 2017 coup that brought Mnangagwa to power. Chiwenga, widely seen as the military strongman behind the transition, expected significant influence in the new government. However, Mnangagwa has methodically sidelined him, appointing a new generation of loyalists and attempting to reduce the army’s direct role in politics.
Tensions flared publicly in 2019 when Chiwenga took a prolonged medical leave in China, with rumours that he had been poisoned. In 2021, a leaked audio recording purported to show Chiwenga’s allies discussing a plan to remove Mnangagwa. The president responded by demoting Chiwenga loyalists and promoting his own supporters within the ZANU-PF party and the security services.
The KG6 armory claim surfaces at a particularly volatile moment. Zimbabwe is grappling with a deepening economic crisis, hyperinflation, food shortages, and widespread public discontent. The ruling party faces internal factions ahead of disputed elections scheduled for 2023, and any military power shift could destabilise the entire region.
Observers note that Chiwenga retains significant influence within the armed forces, many of whose senior officers served under him during the liberation war and the 2017 coup. If the claim of him taking the KG6 keys is accurate, it would signal that he is preparing to enforce his will militarily, or at least to ensure that Mnangagwa cannot move against him without confronting a fully armed faction loyal to the vice president.
Regional Implications
Southern Africa has watched Zimbabwe’s internal power struggles with growing alarm. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has historically been reluctant to intervene in member states’ domestic affairs, but a violent split within Zimbabwe’s security establishment would trigger refugee flows, economic contagion, and potential cross-border instability. Neighbouring South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique all have direct interests in a stable Zimbabwe; Mozambique already faces an Islamist insurgency in its northern province, and any distraction or fragmentation of Zimbabwe’s military could embolden insurgent groups along the shared border.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe’s ongoing energy crisis and its near-total dependence on South African electricity imports mean that any disruption to travel, trade, or banking could quickly ripple across the region. South African analysts have privately warned that a Zimbabwean military split could produce a proxy conflict drawing in external actors, including Chinese and Russian interests that maintain close ties to both Mnangagwa and Chiwenga.
The absence of any official denial or confirmation from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces or the presidency has only fuelled speculation. The state-controlled media, normally quick to dismiss social media rumours as Western propaganda, has been silent on the KG6 story. In previous crises, Mnangagwa has used the broadcasting authority to calm public fears, making the current silence all the more conspicuous.
It is also significant that the video emerged from a source that has previously posted content critical of Mnangagwa and supportive of Chiwenga. The video’s distributor, a Zimbabwean news aggregator, has a track record of amplifying opposition narratives. Still, the detailed nature of the claim — specifically naming KG6 and the keys — suggests either inside knowledge or a deliberate disinformation operation designed to unsettle the government.
For ordinary Zimbabweans already enduring fuel queues, water shortages, and a collapsing currency, the prospect of a military confrontation between the two most powerful men in the country is deeply alarming. Many recall the violence that accompanied the 2008 election run-off and the 2017 transition, when the army took to the streets briefly while Mugabe was placed under house arrest.
Political analysts in Harare say that even if the KG6 claim is false, its mere existence reveals the depth of polarisation within the ruling elite. ‘The fact that this rumour is spreading and being believed by significant parts of the population shows that there is a complete breakdown of trust in the institutions,’ one Harare-based researcher said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. ‘If people believe that the vice president can simply take over the armory, then the system has already failed.’
The coming days will be crucial. Mnangagwa is scheduled to address the nation later this week for a routine update on economic reforms. Whether he addresses the KG6 allegations directly will be seen as a measure of how seriously his administration treats the threat. Meanwhile, Chiwenga’s public schedule has been unusually quiet, with no appearances since the video surfaced.
Whatever the truth behind the claims, one thing is clear: the uneasy power-sharing arrangement between Zimbabwe’s president and his vice president has reached a breaking point, and the consequences will be felt far beyond the country’s borders.
