After being entangled in a sex scandal involving married women, Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Kembo Mohadi resigned.
The 71-year-old declared his resignation on Monday after Zimlive released recordings of his phone calls with at least four women in which he is overheard negotiating for sex.
He declared his resignation with immediate effect in order to protect himself in court against the charges, saying he was a victim of extortion.
“Following the recurring disinformation and viralisation of my alleged immoral unions, dispensed through awkward hacktivism, l am stepping down as the vice-president of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” Mr Mohadi announced in a statement.
“My decision to relinquish the vice-president’s post is a way of respecting the citizens of this great nation and my party comrades, some of whom would have been affected by the falsehoods and character assassination on the digital ecosystem…My resignation is also necessitated by my desire to seek clarity and justice on the matter.”
The long-serving politician believed his voice was cloned and that he was the victim of a smear campaign.
One of the audio recordings shows him arranging to have sex in his office with a married security aide.
The former State Security Minister maintained his innocence and argued that he was the victim of “fact manipulation.”
However, Mr Mohadi had been called to resign by civil society groups, who accused him of exploiting his position.
He was elected Vice President three years ago, following the overthrow of long-time ruler Robert Mugabe, and he had previously worked for Mugabe in various security capacities since the 1990s.
