When veteran Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe sacked his vice-president in front of 12,000 baying party members last week, Emmerson Mnangagwa sat quietly in the crowd, a green baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

The man who stood to gain most from the departure of Joice Mujuru betrayed nothing by his face and gentle clapping — a survival tactic honed during five decades of service from teenage guerilla to minister of defense, finance and justice for the mercurial now 90-year-old Mugabe.

His cap, however, spoke volumes.