The President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa has denied reports of a rift between him and his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga.
There were media reports of a coup plot last month when anti-government protests were staged while Mnangagwa was out of the country.
The protests were met with crackdown from security officers resulting in deaths and injuries to protesters.
The Zimbabwe Independent and NewsDay on Friday published comments from Mnangagwa who said there was no evidence of a rift between him and Constantino Chiwenga.
“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,” Mnangagwa is quoted as saying.
Chiwenga is a retired general who led a military takeover then forced former president Robert Mugabe out of power in 2017.
Protests over economic situation
The protests and agitations last month were over high fuel prices announced by the government.
The government increased petrol prices from $1.24 a litre to $3.31, with diesel up from $1.36 a litre to $3.1.
The Zimbabwe government has always blamed the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of fueling violent protests.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission however said the security forces handling of the protests used excessive force.
Police and soldiers in Zimbabwe were accused of carrying out “systematic torture” in their crackdown on protesters.
Source: Africafeeds.com
