Uebert Angel hits back at critics of VP Chiwenga

Presidential Envoy and Ambassador-at-Large Uebert Angel has publicly defended Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga amid reports of renewed factional tensions within ZANU PF.

Speaking to his Good News Ministry congregation on Sunday, Angel condemned what he described as vicious attacks on Chiwenga, dismissing them as political misconduct and a sign of intellectual bankruptcy.

Angel said political leaders, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, should be open to criticism, but warned against what he called contempt disguised as legitimate scrutiny.

“Criticism is legitimate. You should. You must. People criticise me. They criticise the President. They criticise the Vice-President. It’s allowed. But contempt masquerading as criticism is diabolic. It’s evil,” he said.

He also questioned the logic of those who portray Chiwenga as a dangerous figure while publicly challenging him.

“If you say Chiwenga is dangerous, and you come out and oppose him publicly, you’re giving us a public review that he is not as dangerous as we thought,” Angel said.

The preacher further argued that President Mnangagwa’s continued confidence in Chiwenga should be enough to discourage public attacks on the Vice-President.

“If the President sees him fit to still be the Vice-President, it must be a sign that I, with my little mouth or big mouth, should hush,” he said.

Angel also castigated people joining the public criticism of Chiwenga, making specific reference to his former wife, Marry Mubaiwa, following her recent interview in which she levelled damaging allegations against the Vice-President.

Using a hypothetical divorce scenario to illustrate his point, Angel cautioned against taking sides in disputes between former spouses, arguing that doing so could be interpreted as undermining the authority and judgement of the person who initiated the separation.

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