Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said he suspects a group linked to the former first lady was behind an attempt on his life.

 

Two people died and more than 40 were hurt in an explosion near Mnangagwa at a rally in Bulawayo on Saturday.

 

Mnangagwa told the BBC’s Fergal Keane that he suspected the G40 group, which supported Grace Mugabe for the presidency, had carried out the attack.

 

Mugabe, was forced from power last year.

 

The army intervened to oppose Grace’s attempt to succeed her husband as the country’s leader, and the ruling Zanu-PF party then sacked Mugabe, replacing him with Mr Mnangagwa.

 

An exiled member of the G40 group, former government minister Jonathan Moyo, earlier tweeted that the blast "smacks of an inside job”.

 

Mnangagwa did not accuse Grace of being involved in the attempt on his life.

 

He told the BBC he expects arrests to be made shortly.