BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa survived a blast at a ruling ZANU-PF party rally on Saturday, while one of his vice-presidents and two other party officials were wounded.
A number of other people were also hurt in the explosion during the election campaign event in Zimbabwe’s second city Bulawayo, according to witnesses, but no official toll has yet emerged.
Footage circulating on social media showed an explosion and plumes of smoke around the president as he descended stairs from the podium at the White City stadium.
Images broadcast on Zimbabwean TV showed scenes of chaos and medics fighting to save those wounded by the blast.
Vice President Kemo Mohadi, ZANU-PF chairwoman and cabinet minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and party secretary Engelbert Rugeje were injured, state broadcaster ZBC said.
“The president was evacuated successfully. He is at state house in Bulawayo,” said Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba.
“We suspect it’s an explosion, certainly it was close to the VVIP stage.”
Mnangagwa had been in the city to campaign for votes ahead of nationwide elections due on July 30.
“There was an explosion as Mnangagwa was leaving the stage. People started running in all directions and then immediately the president’s motorcade left at a very high speed. Suddenly soldiers and other security details were all over the place,” said an AFP correspondent at the scene.
“The whole area close to the podium was then cordoned off but several people appeared to have been injured,” added the reporter.
Injured ZANU-PF supporters were taken to a nearby hospital where one man wearing a blood-stained party T-shirt waited for treatment.
Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu confirmed the “unfortunate incident” adding: “There were some injuries but I am still to get full details but as you are aware this happened close to the (president)”.
Bulawayo has long been seen as a bastion of opposition to the ZANU-PF and it was Mnangagwa’s first rally in the city.
Blast rocks Zimbabwe president’s rally, VP injured
