‘No room for a coup’ – generals

Zimbabwe's army generals have issued a statement denying rumours of an imminent coup attempt led by exiled loyalists of late leader Robert Mugabe. A TimesLIVE reports notes that the working committee of the National Security Council said the country boasted an ‘evolving electoral culture’ and ‘there is no room for a coup’. ‘Both claims – of a military coup and a transitional national authority in the making – amount to a mere agenda by merchants of discord,’ they said. The statement singles out opposition politician Job Sikhala of the MDC Alliance – who is exiled in SA – and a former Mugabe aide, Savior Kasukuwere, as ‘purveyors of falsehoods’.

– TimesLIVE

Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has blamed the country’s currency woes on political detractors and greedy private sector players. The country has been experiencing economic turmoil that saw inflation increase by a record 765% in April, while on the widely used parallel market the Zimbabwe dollar has depreciated to 70:1 to the US dollar from 23:1 in January. A report on the News24 site notes that the Zimbabwe dollar is pegged at 25:1 against the greenback. While economists blame the currency free fall on unrestricted money supply growth and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s reluctance to introduce a market based foreign exchange trading system, Mnangagwa told the ruling Zanu-PF party politburo members that it was the work of profiteering private sector players. ‘We are witnessing a relentless attack on our currency and the economy in general through exorbitant pricing models by the private sector,’ he said.

Full Fin24 report