No rift with deputy: Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa dismisses rumours of possible coup

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said there is no rift with his deputy and dismissed rumours of a possible coup in January when he was abroad following a security service crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Mnangagwa said in comments published on Friday by the privately-owned weekly Zimbabwe Independent and daily NewsDay that there was no evidence of a rift between him and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the retired general who led a coup against Robert Mugage in 2017. "I have known Chiwenga and his colleagues (in the military) since the struggle years. We are comrades and understand each other better than you think," the president said, referring to the struggle for independence against Britain.