Emmerson Mnangagwa

=== Minister of Rural Housing: 2005–2009 ===
In the [[2005 Zimbabwean parliamentary election|March 2005 parliamentary election]], Mnangagwa was again defeated by Blessing Chebundo in the Kwekwe constituency, this time with 46 percent of the votes to Chebundo's 54 percent.<ref name=":39" /><ref name="newsday2017-11-22a" /> Just as before, Mugabe appointed Mnangagwa to one of the unelected seats in Parliament.<ref name=":39" /><ref name=":37" /><ref name="newsday2017-11-22a">{{cite web|url=http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/mnangagwa-zimbabwes-president-in-waiting/ |title=Mnangagwa: Zimbabwe's President-in-waiting|date=22 November 2017|access-date=26 November 2017|author=Staff Reporter|work=Newsday Zimbabwe|publisher=Zimbabwe Situation|quote=In the March 2005 parliamentary election, he was again defeated by Chebundo in Kwekwe and Mugabe again appointed him a non-constituency MP. He was demoted to a lesser influential post of Rural Housing and Social Amenities minister in 2005 following the elevation of Joice Mujuru to the post of Vice-President.}}</ref> John Nkomo replaced Mnangagwa as Speaker of Parliament. In the new cabinet, Mugabe named Mnangagwa as [[Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities (Zimbabwe)|Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities]].<ref name=":38">[http://www.sadocc.at/news/2005/2005-101.shtml "MP's sworn in, new ministers appointed"], SADOCC, 16 April 2005.</ref> This was widely seen as a demotion by Mugabe in retribution for Mnangagwa's involvement in the plot for him to become vice-president over Mujuru, the president's choice.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":38" />

In 2005, Mnangagwa helped carry out [[Operation Murambatsvina]], an initiative in which urban slums, home to many people who opposed Mugabe's rule, were destroyed, resulting in the homelessness of thousands of the urban poor.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/11/22/who-is-emmerson-the-crocodile-mnangagwa-mugabes-successor-in-zimbabwe/|title=Analysis {{!}} Who is Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's successor in Zimbabwe?|last=Bearak|first=Max|date=22 November 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=25 November 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> By 2007, Mnangagwa was reportedly back in Mugabe's favour, and the president was now said to be dismayed at the political activities of Mnangagwa's rival, Vice-President Mujuru, and her husband, former army chief [[Solomon Mujuru]].<ref name=":32" />

==== 2007 alleged coup d'état attempt ====
{{Main|2007 Zimbabwean alleged coup d'état attempt}}
In May 2007, the Zimbabwean government announced that it had foiled an alleged [[coup d'état]] involving nearly 400 soldiers and high-ranking members of the military that would have occurred on either 2 or 15 June 2007.<ref name="matapo" /><ref name="leaders" /><ref name="theplot" /> The alleged leaders of the coup, all of whom were arrested, were retired army Captain [[Albert Matapo]], army spokesman [[Ben Ncube]], Major General [[Engelbert Rugeje]], and Air Vice Marshal [[Elson Moyo]].<ref name="matapo">[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article1940402.ece Coup 'plot' feeds Zimbabwe political tension], 16 June 2007. ''The Times''</ref><ref name="leaders">[http://allafrica.com/stories/200706141067.html Zimbabwe: Army investigates reports of coup plot], 14 June 2007. AllAfrica</ref><ref name="theplot">[http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/army22.16542.html Zimbabwe 'coup plotters' charged with treason] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413051940/http://newzimbabwe.com/pages/army22.16542.html |date=13 April 2014}}, 14 June 2007. AllAfrica</ref>

According to the government, the soldiers planned on forcibly removing Mugabe from the presidency and asking Mnangagwa to form a government with the heads of the armed forces.<ref name="matapo" /><ref name="mutasa" /> Reportedly, the government first learned of the plot when a former army officer in [[Paris]], [[France]], who opposed the coup contacted police and gave them a map and list of those involved.<ref name="matapo" /><ref name="mutasa" /> Mnangagwa said that he had no knowledge of the plot, and called it "stupid".<ref name="matapo" /><ref name="mutasa">[http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=311446&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/ Allegations of coup plot in Zimbabwe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210516/http://mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=311446&area=%2Fbreaking_news%2Fbreaking_news__africa%2F |date=3 March 2016}}, 15 June 2007. Mail and Guardian Online</ref> Some analysts speculated that rival potential successors to Mugabe, such as former ZANLA leader Solomon Mujuru, may have been behind the scheme in an attempt to discredit Mnangagwa, who had for a number of years been seen as Mugabe's likely successor.<ref name=":30" /><ref name="matapo" />

[[Treason]] charges were laid against Matapo and other alleged plotters, but no [[trial]] ever took place for lack of [[Evidence#Law|evidence]].<ref name="IrishExaminer2007-06-16a">{{cite web |date=16 June 2007 |title=Zimbabwe: Alleged coup plotters deny treason charges |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/zimbabwe-alleged-coup-plotters-deny-treason-charges-315240.html |access-date=24 November 2017 |work=Irish Examiner}}</ref><ref name="TheZimbabwean2014-09-03a" /> Nevertheless, Matapo and six others (not including Ncube, Rugeje, or Moyo) ended up spending seven years in [[Chikurubi Prison]] before being released in 2014.<ref name="TheZimbabwean2014-09-03a">{{cite web |url=http://www.thezimbabwean.co/2014/09/former-army-officer-breaks-silence/ |title=Former army officer breaks silence on coup accusations|author=Staff Reporter|work=The Zimbabwean|date=3 September 2014|access-date=16 November 2017 |quote=An army officer, who with six friends was abducted in May 2007 and ended up spending seven years in Chikurubi Prison, has broken his silence by speaking to The Zimbabwean this week. ... former Army Captain Albert Matapo ... and six others, Emmanuel Marara, Oncemore Mudzurahona, Partson Mupfure, Nyasha Zivuku, Rangarirai Mazivofa and Shingirai Webster Mutemachani, were abducted on May 29, 2007, at 108 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Harare, by people in plain clothes who identified themselves as CIO and army intelligence officers. ... 'We were abducted because we were in the process of forming a new political party which is now called United Crusade for Achieving Democracy (UCAD). ... Matapo said they were taken to an unknown destination where they suffered several forms of torture, including electrocution on the genitals. ... However, the treason trial did not commence due to lack of evidence and the seven men were released on March 1. ... They went ahead and formed their party, UCAD, which was launched on August 1 in Harare. ... 'There is no way normal people like us would remove Robert Mugabe and put Mnangagwa because they are one and the same. Mnangagwa can even be worse than Mugabe. ...' }}</ref> Matapo denied that he and the other accused plotters planning a coup, and said he had no interest in supporting Mnangagwa, whom he regarded as equally bad, if not worse, than Mugabe.<ref name="TheZimbabwean2014-09-03a" /> Instead, Matapo said that the group were simply trying to form a new political party, which they eventually did after their release from prison.<ref name="TheZimbabwean2014-09-03a" />