Emmerson Mnangagwa a 'tyrant' in line to lead Zimbabwe
Emmerson Mnangagwa
(CNN) The elevation of Emmerson Mnangagwa to the presidency of Zimbabwe would amount to an act of political survival matched only by the man he'd replace  Robert Mugabe.
Until Mugabe fired him as Vice President last week   Mnangagwa 's entire political career had been hitched to Zimbabwe's 93-year-old leader.
Now  with the military in control in Harare and Mugabe confined to his residency   Mnangagwa  is believed to be at the center of moves to install  himself  at the head of a transitional government.
This wouldn't be the first time  Mnangagwa  has been in line to lead Zimbabwe
They also hint at  Mnangagwa 's dark past. In late 2000  a cable written by Earl Irving   then a US diplomat in Harare  described  Mnangagwa  as "widely feared and despised throughout the country " warning  he  could be "an even more repressive leader" than Mugabe if  he  were to succeed  him .
Fear of  Mnangagwa  stems from  his  position as Mugabe's enforcer and head of the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO)  or secret police  and  his  alleged role in the 1983-84 massacres of the Ndebele ethnic group in Matabeleland  a region in Zimbabwe's southwest that was a center of political opposition to Mugabe's regime.
Mnangagwa's elevation without an election would be viewed with suspicion abroad. Kate Hoey  a British Labour MP who has campaigned for years to highlight oppression under the Mugabe regime  described  Mnangagwa 's in a parliamentary debate as "probably the one person in Zimbabwe who inspires even greater terror than Mugabe."
Nicknamed the "crocodile" on account of his political longevity and survival skills   Mnangagwa  has for years been thought to be biding  his  time  ready to takeover from Mugabe when the nonagenarian finally stepped aside  or died.
 His  impeccable revolutionary credentials  coupled with  his  strong support among key parts of Zimbabwe's elite -- specifically within the military and security services -- singled  him  out as an obvious  and non-controversial  successor.
But this was to dramatically change earlier last week  when Mugabe sacked  Mnangagwa  in a move seen as shoring up the power of  his  wife and chosen successor  Grace Mugabe.
A statement from the country's information ministry accused  Mnangagwa  of "disloyalty  disrespect  deceitfulness and unreliability " sending  him  into hiding amid reports  he  was attempting to build a coalition to take on Grace Mugabe in the next election.
"One after the other  (Mugabe's) vice presidents and people around  him  were estranged by Grace Mugabe " said Geoff Hill  author of "What happens after Mugabe?".
(CNN) The elevation of  [TGT]  to the presidency of Zimbabwe would amount to an act of political survival matched only by the man he'd replace  Robert Mugabe.
Until Mugabe fired him as Vice President last week   Mnangagwa 's entire political career had been hitched to Zimbabwe's 93-year-old leader.
Now  with the military in control in Harare and Mugabe confined to his residency   Mnangagwa  is believed to be at the center of moves to install  himself  at the head of a transitional government.
This wouldn't be the first time  Mnangagwa  has been in line to lead Zimbabwe
They also hint at  Mnangagwa 's dark past. In late 2000  a cable written by Earl Irving   then a US diplomat in Harare  described  Mnangagwa  as "widely feared and despised throughout the country " warning  he  could be "an even more repressive leader" than Mugabe if  he  were to succeed  him .
Fear of  Mnangagwa  stems from  his  position as Mugabe's enforcer and head of the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO)  or secret police  and  his  alleged role in the 1983-84 massacres of the Ndebele ethnic group in Matabeleland  a region in Zimbabwe's southwest that was a center of political opposition to Mugabe's regime.
Mnangagwa's elevation without an election would be viewed with suspicion abroad. Kate Hoey  a British Labour MP who has campaigned for years to highlight oppression under the Mugabe regime  described  Mnangagwa 's in a parliamentary debate as "probably the one person in Zimbabwe who inspires even greater terror than Mugabe."
Nicknamed the "crocodile" on account of his political longevity and survival skills   Mnangagwa  has for years been thought to be biding  his  time  ready to takeover from Mugabe when the nonagenarian finally stepped aside  or died.
 His  impeccable revolutionary credentials  coupled with  his  strong support among key parts of Zimbabwe's elite -- specifically within the military and security services -- singled  him  out as an obvious  and non-controversial  successor.
But this was to dramatically change earlier last week  when Mugabe sacked  Mnangagwa  in a move seen as shoring up the power of  his  wife and chosen successor  Grace Mugabe.
A statement from the country's information ministry accused  Mnangagwa  of "disloyalty  disrespect  deceitfulness and unreliability " sending  him  into hiding amid reports  he  was attempting to build a coalition to take on Grace Mugabe in the next election.
"One after the other  (Mugabe's) vice presidents and people around  him  were estranged by Grace Mugabe " said Geoff Hill  author of "What happens after Mugabe?".