Zimbabwe’s co-vice-president Kembo Mohadi has resigned under pressure from a sex scandal, in which he accused his political enemies of “hacking and cloning” his phone last week.

In a statement, the former VP said he leaves office as a victim of “information distortion, voice cloning, and sponsored spooking and political sabotage”.

He added: “Following the recurring disinformation and virilisation of my alleged immoral unions, dispensed through awkward slacktivism, I am stepping down as the vice-president of the Republic of Zimbabwe ... with immediate effect.”

In his first statement after it was exposed by ZimLIVE, a local online publication, that the former VP had a sexual relationship with a married aide attached to his office and two other women, he said his fate lay with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

However, he has since decided to step down and thanked Mnangagwa, who had given him an “opportunity to serve under his grace for the past three years”.

Mohadi said his decision to resign was also because he wanted to dedicate his time to proving that he was a target of political enemies.

“My resignation is also necessitated by my desire to seek clarity and justice on the matter in which my legal team will pursue and deconstruct this pseudo paparazzi and flawed espionage to achieve cheap political points. I promise to poke holes in this grand strategy by political foes,” he added.

Mohadi occupied the second VP post reserved for former PF Zapu members as part of the 1987 Unity Accord agreement with Mugabe’s Zanu which sought to have a one-party state in Zimbabwe. His position will be filled by a former PF Zapu politician.

TimesLIVE