Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa survived a blast at a ruling ZANU-PF party rally on June 23, his spokesman said, adding that he had been taken to safety after the incident.
The country’s Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and his wife sustained minor injuries in the blast, a source close to Mr. Mnangagwa told Reuters. “Mrs Chiwenga was slightly injured. Her husband was also affected in a minor way,” the source said.
An AFP correspondent at the scene reported multiple injuries but could not immediately give a precise toll.
Images broadcast on Zimbabwean TV showed scenes of chaos and medics fighting to save those wounded by the blast at the White City stadium in the country‘s second city Bulawayo. “The President was evacuated successfully. He is at state house in Bulawayo,” said Mr. Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba. “We suspect it’s an explosion, certainly it was close to the VVIP stage.”
Mr. Mnangagwa had been in the city to campaign for votes ahead of nationwide elections due on July 30. They are the first polls since veteran leader Robert Mugabe was ousted following a brief military takeover in November 2017, after 37 years in power. It will be a key test for Mr. Mnangagwa, who succeeded the long-serving autocrat seven months ago, and remains untested at the ballot box. He has pledged to hold free and fair elections as he seeks to mend international relations.