Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Zimbabwean president, has promised an investigation into the excesses carried out by security forces during the latest strife in the country. “Heads will roll,” he declared, if the allegations are true, as he headed home after cutting short a trip to Europe.

The current round of violence started with protests following the doubling of fuel prices. The crackdown which followed led to at least a dozen people being killed and 80 treated for gunshot wounds, say human rights groups. More than 700 people have been arrested, including 11 opposition MPs, with doctors reporting evidence of “systematic torture” of prisoners.

The drastic rise in the previously heavily subsidised price makes petrol in Zimbabwe some of the most expensive in Africa. The government stated the hike had to take place, with the economy in deep trouble after decades of misrule by Robert Mugabe which has led to inflation of 40 per cent, soaring unemployment, a shattered infrastructure and chronic shortages.

But Mr Mnangagwa was very much part of that system, a vice president who only parted with the regime and went into exile after falling out with Mr Mugabe’s wife Grace, who was establishing her own power base within the ruling Zanu-PF party, and was intent on removing those who could block her ascent.

Mr Mnangagwa showed his cunning and survival skills – which earned him the sobriquet of “The Crocodile” – by emerging as the leader during the upheaval which followed the fall of Robert Mugabe and then winning the subsequent presidential election.

A injured man who was arrested is seen at a hospital following protests on 16 January (Reuters) (REUTERS)

One of the reasons for his victory was the solid powerbase of Zanu-PF, and the inadequacies of the candidate from the opposition MDC (Movement for Democratic Change).

But there was also the feeling among many that, despite all their reservations about the old guard, Mr Mnangagwa may be the person to bring stability.

At an election rally in Harare, Mr Mnanagagwa’s daughter, Farai Mnangagwa Mlotshwa, said to me: “He knows that mistakes were made in the past and in many ways he is the one who is in the best position to put them right.”

Her father told her he will serve one term, added Ms Mnangagwa Mlotshwa, who was keen to stress that “he has been around for a long time and has the experience that is needed”.

There was obviously a large dose of family loyalty in all that. But the view that The Crocodile’s long memory of misdeeds may actually be helpful in ensuring they are not replicated, and helping a fractured society to repair itself, was also held by many western, including British, diplomats.

Former leader Mugabe arrives to vote in Zimbabwe election

However the actions taken by the security forces – the shootings and the beatings, the arrests and closing down of the internet – following the fuel demonstrations are very reminiscent of the time of Mugabe.

And this, of course, is not the first time there has been brutal action by the security forces since the fall of Mugabe. In the days following the bitterly contested election I saw people being shot, when troops opened fire with live rounds, and stabbed with bayonets in the streets of Zimbabwe’s capital. And this after a protest that had largely been dispersed by police using teargas, baton rounds and water cannons.

The following day I met some of the injured who had been shot, stabbed and beaten with sjamboks – the heavy rhino-hide whips favoured by security forces of apartheid South Africa – gouging out deep scars.

In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Show all 55 1 /55 In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election People in Mbare celebrate after officials announced the re-election of President Emmerson Mnangagwa Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters celebrate at the Harare International Convention Centre in the early hours Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election People in Mbare celebrate Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election People in Mbare celebrate Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters sing and dance soon after the announcement EPA In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters sing and dance soon after the results of the Presidential elections were announced at the Harare International Convention Centre EPA In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A vendor sells sponges near newspaper headlines on the streets of Harare AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the newly reelected Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa celebrate in Mbare AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election People in Mbare celebrate Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A man reads a Zimbabwean newspaper the day after the violence on the streets of Harare EPA In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A soldier fires shots towards demonstrators AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A wounded man reacts at the sight of soldiers while taking shelter in a stall at a market in Harare AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC) light a fire in the streets of Harare. Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Soldiers open fire to disperse crowds of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change supporters outside the party's headquarters in Harare REUTERS In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Opposition MDC party supporters hold a voting placard up high on a street in Harare AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A supporter of Zimbabwean opposition MDC Alliance allegedly beaten up by soldiers sits with blood on his face as other protesters assist him AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A vendor scurries for cover with her wares as soldiers disperse demonstrators AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A wounded man hides under a tarpauling while the Zimbabwean Army patrols the streets of Harare AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Anti-riot police officers close the entrance to the Rainbow Towers, where the election results were announced in Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Soldiers open fire on citizens REUTERS In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Citizens run the Zimbabwean army during protests in Harare Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC) protest the result of the election, which they allege to be fraudulent Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition protest in the streets of Harare as police fire tear gas AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A soldier assaults a man on the streets of Harare during protests AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Zimbabwean anti riot police officers sit in a truck amidst protesters on the streets of Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Citizens run from riot police amidst protests in Harare AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Soldiers patrol the streets during protests in Harare Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A Zimbabwean soldier beats a man on the streets of Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A man lies dead after the Zimbabwean army shot at protesters in Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A supporter of the opposition party protests in the streets of Harare Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Zimbabwean soldiers beats an opposition supporter on the streets of Harare Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition protest in the streets of Harare AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition protest in the streets of Harare as police fire tear gas Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition burn a campaign banner of the ruling Zanu-PF party Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A man casts his vote in Mbare, a suburb of Zimbabwean capital Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A police officer keeps watch of queuing voters in Mbare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Voters stand in line outside a polling station in Mbare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Election officials remove political posters near a polling station on voting day Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Oppostion leader Nelson Chamisa arrives at a polling station in Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Oppostion leader Nelson Chamisa casts his vote AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa arrives to cast his vote in Kwekwe Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa casts his vote AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Voters stand in line outside a polling station in Kwekwe AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A woman prays outside a polling station in Mbare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Voters arrive at a polling station in Harare EPA In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Former president Robert Mugabe prepares to cast his vote in Harare AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A woman casts her vote in Mbare, a suburb of capital Harare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A woman casts her vote in the township of Makokoba Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A police officer casts his vote in Mbare Getty In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A woman prays near a polling station in Mbare EPA In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A man casts his vote in Harare AP In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Former president Robert Mugabe speaks at a press conference the day before the vote where he stated that he would not be voting for his former Zanu-PF party Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election A supporter of the opposition MDC party attends the final campaign rally in Harare on July 28 Reuters In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) party attends the final campaign rally in Harare on July 28 EPA In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election Supporters of the opposition MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) party attends the final campaign rally in Harare on July 28 EPA

The police later broke up a press conference being given by the opposition candidate, Nelson Chamisa, at the hotel where many of us journalists were staying: the extraordinary scenes were recorded by cameras of the international media and disseminated worldwide.

Mr Mnangagwa put out tweets regretting police action, and the information minister, SK Moyo, turned up at the hotel to offer further apologies and assure us that the press conference would take place after all – and that we should attend.

To add to the surreal nature of what was unfolding, a senior foreign diplomat who was speaking to Mr Mnangagwa at the time of the street fights said the president was not even aware troops had been deployed. He and other ministers seemed equally unaware of the hotel raid until it happened.

There were persistent reports of Mr Mnangagwa being at odds with his vice president, General Constantine Chiwenga, the former head of the armed forces. The general, and not the president, is said to have hosted a meeting of selected members of the Zanu-PF politburo, the evening before the troops went on to the streets.