BULAWAYO – Former National Patriotic Front (NPF) president Ambrose Mutinhiri is set to be appointed Zimbabwe’s new ambassador to Russia, ZimLive has learnt.
He will replace Nicholas Sango, a retired brigadier general whose tour of duty expired at the end of August.
Mutinhiri, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s 1970s independence war, stood for his party and lost in the 2018 presidential elections.
The former general announced in 2019 that he had rejoined Zanu PF.
Mutinhiri is among dozens of Zimbabwean diplomats who are this week attending the ministry of foreign affairs and trade’s Senior Management and Ambassadors Retreat being held at the Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo.
The ambassadors from all Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry were addressed by information minister Monica Mutsvangwa on Thursday.
Mutinhiri was non-committal, but another ambassador told ZimLive: “He’s our new man to Russia. President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa will make the announcement soon.”
A former acolyte of the late president Robert Mugabe, Mutinhiri was seen as a stalking horse for Mugabe, his wife Grace and the vanquished Zanu PF G40 group that had opposed Mnangagwa’s political rise.
In the 2018 presidential race, Mutinhiri came 22nd of the 23 presidential candidates after polling a paltry 4,107 votes.
