Behind those reading glasses, army beret and imposing military camouflage, the Zimbabwe National Army's General Constantino Chiwenga - whose declaration set the stage for President Robert Mugabe's political demise - is a man whose life has always been in the public eye.
Known as "Zim 2" in his social circles, largely comprising the country's big-name businessmen and senior war veterans, he takes the moniker from Mugabe's official limousine, registered as "Zim 1", implying that he is the second-most powerful Zimbabwean after the man who has ruled his country with an iron-fist for 37 brutal years.
However, despite his swift and decisive intervention in Zimbabwean politics last week, his strategic acumen has been questioned by army counterparts who do not hold him in as high a regard as the public, whose respect he earned when he went against their seemingly invincible long-time tormentor.