ZANU-PF Factional Disputes Continue: Minister in Acting First Lady Gaffe
Sunday, Dec 28, 2014
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail
The Minister of State for Mashonaland West, Cde Faber Chidarikire is in the eye of a storm after he introduced Acting President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife as the Acting First Lady during celebrations yesterday to mark the elevation of Cde Prisca Mupfumira to the Politburo and her appointment as the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Services.
It is understood that thousands of people who attended the celebrations that were held at Chinhoyi University of Technology were stunned by the introduction by Cde Chidarikire.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, a Zanu-PF central committe member who attended the celebrations said Cde Chidarikire who was given the task to introduce Mrs Mnangagwa as the Guest of Honour said because Vice President Mnangagwa was the Acting President, his wife was also the Acting First Lady.
“Everything was going on well during the celebrations until the remarks by Cde Chidarikire. He introduced Mrs Mnangagwa as the Acting First Lady and the people were stunned. He said Mrs Mnangagwa was the Acting First Lady because her husband was the Acting President.
“There were murmurs of dissapproval from many people because this was a first. We have never heard of an Acting First Lady. Some people even started asking around whether that scenario is possible but for some of us we know there is no such a thing,” said the Zanu-PF central committee member.
The central committee member said some of the people who spoke during the celebrations included the Mashonaland West provincial chair, Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi who gave the opening remarks, Politburo member Cde Shuvai Mahofa; Cde Sandi Moyo and Hurungwe East MP, Cde Sarah Mahoka who gave the vote of thanks.
Cde Mupfumira also gave a speech during the celebrations.
Also in attendance were Politburo members Cde July Moyo, Cde Josiah Hungwe, Cde Joram Gumbo, Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Cde Douglas Mombeshora and Chegutu West MP, Cde Dexter Nduna.
Several central committee members from Mashonaland West also attended the celebrations.
When he was contacted for a comment yesterday evening, Cde Chidarikire said he made the introduction as a joke.
“That was a joke. I said tiri kuvati Acting First Lady but it can never be. I had joked that nekuti vaMnangagwa is Acting President, saka she is Acting First Lady.
“It was just a joke and I then corrected that statement that she cannot be acting First Lady because the First Lady is there,” said Cde Chidarikire.
However, another Politburo member who was in attendance and some poltical commentators castigated Cde Chidarikire for what they called a “joke in bad taste.”
“When Cde Chidarikire made the remarks, I couldn’t believe it. I really don’t understand why he thought of such a joke. He almost spoiled the celebrations that were going on well.
“We should respect the First Lady and such jokes border on disrespect,” said the Politburo member.
A political commentator who refused to be named said the incident was not different from the one involving Cde Hungwe who about a weak ago, received a serious backlash after equating VP Mnangagwa to Jesus Christ.
“This incident is just the same as the one by Cde Hungwe about a few days ago.
“Maybe its the adrenalin that will be pumping or its just over-excitement which makes politicians to cross the line. Really, what Cde Chidarikire said was uncalled for and was a joke in bad taste.
“Politicians should learn to restrain themselves when in public because what they say has so many ripple effects,” said the commentator.
Mutasa’s world crumbles
by Sunday Mail Reporter
Sunday, Dec 28, 2014
RENEGADE former Zanu-PF national secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa’s world continue crumbling as people from his constituency, Headlands are calling for his immediate recall from Parliament. This came out at a stormy meeting that was held at the Headlands Community Hall last week where over 700 party supporters called for the ouster of Cde Mutasa.
Senior political figures in Manicaland province have already called for the expulsion of the former minister from the party and the process to dump Cde Mutasa is set to be put in official motion at the party’s next Provincial Co-ordinating Committee meeting set to be held at the end of the week.
Fresh from being deposed from the Politburo at the Zanu-PF 6th National People’s Congress, Cde Mutasa has been caught in a new wave of shenanigans after bizarrely writing to Sadc to nullify results of the recent Congress and denigrating the party in interviews he held with the hostile sections of the media.
Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Mandi Chimene and Acting Manicaland Provincial Chairman Cde Samuel Undenge have already came out strong calling for Cde Mutasa’s expulsion from the party.
The Sunday Mail understands that during the meeting at the community hall, all the people in attendance called for the immediate recall of Cde Mutasa as their MP over allegations of trying to assassinate President Mugabe, corruption, nepotism and abuse of office.
He is also accused of giving land offer letters in exchange for bribes to white farmers in the province.
The meeting was addressed by Zanu PF Secretary for Transport and Welfare, Cde Oppah Muchinguri as she gave feedback to the people of Headlands Constituency on the 6th Zanu PF National People’s Congress.
Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs in the Politburo Cde Kudzai Chipanga who attended the meeting said there was an outpouring of anger aimed at Cde Mutasa.
“It was clear that people in Headlands no longer want Cde Mutasa to be their MP. They told Cde Muchinguri that it was no longer proper to continue working with Cde Mutasa because of the serious allegations that he is already facing, which include being part of the ploy to topple President Mugabe.
The meeting was attended by about 700 supporters who overwhelmingly voiced their concerns against Cde Mutasa”.
Cde Chipanga said the party would be doing a disservice to Headlands Constituency if it allows Cde Mutasa to continue as the legislator.
“It is the right of the people to see their MP but in light of these developments anyone who associates with Cde Mutasa stands accused of working in cohorts with him or being led into his agenda. So that is why we are also saying it is better to remove him from the party because Zanu-PF is bigger than individuals,” he said.
Sources who attended the meeting said Cde Mutasa was accused of using his influence to parcel out farms in Headlands Constituency to his family members.
“Most of the farms in the Headlands area are owned by Cde Mutasa’s close relatives. Even some of his relatives who are not resident in Zimbabwe have been allocated farms which they have never set foot on. One example is a farm called Homewood in Headlands which he allocated to his relative who is based in London, but who has never set foot on the farm,” said a source.
“He has also given offer letters to a number of white farmers in Headlands,” said the source.
Zanu-PF Manicaland Central Committee member and businessman Cde Esau Mupfumi said the party should not tolerate cadres who don’t follow party procedures.
He said Cde Mutasa needs to be disciplined and the next meeting of the PCC would recommend his expulsion.
Cde Mupfumi said if Cde Mutasa feels that he has been unfairly treated by the party he should use normal party channels to seek redress.
“The man is no longer disciplined and something needs to be done.
“Let us assume he was unfairly treated by the party, he was supposed to complain through the normal channels not to start shouting and denigrating the party while he was outside the country.
He needs to be disciplined because as a former senior party cadre he knows some of these procedures. So what he did, either he was out of his senses or he was deliberately undermining the authority of the President and the party,” he said.
Another Central Committee member from the province Cde Luke Masamvu said the provincial coordinating committee was likely to meet next weekend to determine Cde Mutasa’s fate.
“The PCC is expected to meet next weekend, chief among the issues to be discussed is the fate of Cde Mutasa. Constitutionally the province needs to recommend for his expulsion,” he said.
While Manicaland provincial acting chairperson, Cde Samuel Undenge was not picking up his phone, he last week told our sister newspaper The Herald that there were sentiments in the province that Cde Mutasa should be censured as his utterances did not show remorse.
Another Central Commitee member Cde Mandy Chimene has come out in the open saying the province should get rid of Cde Mutasa.
Contacted for comment on the increased calls for his expulsion from Zanu-PF, Cde Mutasa kept on saying; “Matii? Matii? Matii?,” before terminating the call. Later his mobile phone was no longer reachable.
Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere who a fortnight ago directed the party’s provinces to stop further suspensions was not available for comment.
Cde Mutasa is said to have roped in MDC-T and a Western –funded international NGO to subvert the will of the people so that he could be restored to his former positions in the party and the Government.
He is alleged to have used contacts in MDC-T to get the issue of his failure to land a Central Committee seat and dismissal from Government tabled at a meeting of the Socialist International Council, which met at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 12-13.
The Socialist International Council meeting was convened to discuss high levels of insecurity and threats to world peace.
Zanu-PF is not a member of the Socialist International Council although the MPLA of Angola, Frelimo of Mozambique, SWAPO of Namibia, ANC (South Africa), and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Tanzania) are members along with the MDC, the Botswana Democratic Party and Patriotic Front of Zambia which are listed as consultative parties.
While in India, Cde Mutasa reportedly phoned some leading figures of sister liberation movements in Southern Africa and South African President Jacob Zuma, alleging that his failure to land a powerful post in Zanu-PF together with former Vice President Joice Mujuru and the firing of some ministers was unjust.
In an interview with the Independent newspaper of South Africa, Cde Mutasa urged President Zuma to intervene and assist him to regain his post in Zanu-PF.
Cde Mutasa was roundly condemned by several political commentators and analysts for making all these reckless and desperate moves.
Mnangagwa under siege as Zanu PF infighting escalates
29th ⁄ December ⁄ 2014
HARARE – A mere three weeks into his tenure as President Robert Mugabe’s senior lieutenant, the knives are now being sharpened against Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa as Zanu PF’s ugly infighting refuses to go away and the party faction that worked together to decimate former anti-Joice Mujuru falls apart.
The Daily News learnt yesterday that among Mnangagwa’s new rabid critics are erstwhile colleagues who played a critical role in annihilating Mujuru and her perceived sympathisers, a development that paved the way for his Phoenix-like rise from the political ashes to the presidium.
The sources said Mnangagwa’s former supporters were not just “peeved by his meteoric rise to the VP position” while they had to “make-do with scraps”, they were also upset that he had seemingly forgotten them and was allegedly acting as if he was now “the substantive head of State” while Mugabe was on holiday.
As a result, some within the former anti-Mujuru grouping — particularly the so-called “Gang of Four” — now expeditiously wanted the tail of the party strongman cut.
The sources also claimed that it had not helped that the much-feared vice president had recently hosted parties and business persons in his home province, the Midlands, where some of the disaffected hardliners had not been invited to.
Worse still, some of Mnangagwa’s most fervent followers, such as Psychomotor minister Josiah Hungwe, had made the fatal mistake of praising him overzealously at these gatherings — at worst silly faux pas that the hardliners had expediently latched on to, in their quest to cut Ngwena down to size.
“There are some within the victorious camp who feel that Mnangagwa in the first place did not deserve to be vice president after doing virtually nothing during the Mujuru demolition job where First Lady Grace Mugabe was used to turn President Mugabe against Amai Mujuru,” a well-placed source told the Daily News.
He said in particular the so-called “Gang of Four”— comprising senior party bigwigs Oppah Muchinguri, Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao and Saviour Kasukuwere — was allegedly working to undermine the VP and to “expose him as a power-hungry individual who is not fit to take over from Mugabe”.
This, the source added, supposedly explained why Mnangagwa, just like what had happened to Mujuru, was coming under vicious attack in the State media — “to discredit him as much as possible”.
Writing in the lickspittle Sunday Mail yesterday, a columnist who uses the bizarre pseudonym of Bishop Lazarus, and widely believed to be a senior Zanu PF bigwig, accused Mnangagwa of jettisoning party resolutions emanating from the party’s congress, and behaving like the deceased party stalwart Solomon Mujuru, who was widely regarded as a kingmaker.
Lazarus also queried why Mnangagwa had told a business delegation at his farm on the outskirts of Kwekwe that Zimbabwe’s indigenisation laws would be reviewed.
“Dear reader, there are two very worrying things about the statement above. The first worrying point is where this statement was made and secondly if indeed the VP said government would announce new business policies aimed at relaxing the indigenisation laws, then the bishop is amazed that the VP is throwing resolutions from the just ended Zanu PF into the dustbin so fast and furious,” the columnist said.
The columnist went on to say that it was also inappropriate for the VP to hold meetings at his Sherwood Farm, just like the late Solomon Mujuru had done.
“You see it starts with these courtesy calls at the farm and before we know it things get out of hand. There are so many places where these business people could have met VP Mnangagwa without raising any suspicion.
“Once upon a time, the bishop vividly remembers a famous farm somewhere in Beatrice where business people flocked to pay homage to some presumably powerful political skimmer who went on to get entangled in very dirty political games that are today haunting those he left behind.
“We don’t want a repeat of that in Kwekwe because that would be tragic and very unfortunate. VP Mnangagwa is a veteran politician and we hope he will move the courtesy calls to either his offices or some other place that suits his important office,” the columnist added.
The same paper also laid into the minister of State for Mashonaland West, Faber Chidarikire, yesterday for jokingly referring to Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxilia, as the acting First Lady.
“In my entire life I have never heard of an acting First Lady, where did he get that nonsense from. He is not the only one who is getting over-excited but most of these guys now regard Mnangagwa as the President,” a top Zanu PF official allegedly told the paper.
In an interview with the State media last week, Moyo also said people should not confuse Mnangagwa’s appointment as VP as anointment as Mugabe’s successor.
And Mugabe’s nephew, Zhuwao, also warned last week that those close to Mnangagwa needed to guard against getting too excited.
Respected political commentator and University of Zimbabwe lecturer Eldred Masunungure recently told the Daily News that Mujuru’s ouster would not translate into Mnangagwa’s automatic ascendency to the highest seat in government.
He said there were now two main factions in Zanu PF — namely the Gushungo (Mugabe’s totem) and Mnangagwa factions.
“The other two factions coalesced against Mujuru and now that they have decimated that faction, the question is which one remains the most dominant?
“To me the Gushungo faction is now in control of the party because Mugabe knows that real power lies in the party, not in the government, so Mnangagwa may not be the winner after all,” Masunungure said.
 |
| Ousted ZANU-PF official Didyus Mutasa is being vilified in the state media. |
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail
The Minister of State for Mashonaland West, Cde Faber Chidarikire is in the eye of a storm after he introduced Acting President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife as the Acting First Lady during celebrations yesterday to mark the elevation of Cde Prisca Mupfumira to the Politburo and her appointment as the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Services.
It is understood that thousands of people who attended the celebrations that were held at Chinhoyi University of Technology were stunned by the introduction by Cde Chidarikire.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, a Zanu-PF central committe member who attended the celebrations said Cde Chidarikire who was given the task to introduce Mrs Mnangagwa as the Guest of Honour said because Vice President Mnangagwa was the Acting President, his wife was also the Acting First Lady.
“Everything was going on well during the celebrations until the remarks by Cde Chidarikire. He introduced Mrs Mnangagwa as the Acting First Lady and the people were stunned. He said Mrs Mnangagwa was the Acting First Lady because her husband was the Acting President.
“There were murmurs of dissapproval from many people because this was a first. We have never heard of an Acting First Lady. Some people even started asking around whether that scenario is possible but for some of us we know there is no such a thing,” said the Zanu-PF central committee member.
The central committee member said some of the people who spoke during the celebrations included the Mashonaland West provincial chair, Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi who gave the opening remarks, Politburo member Cde Shuvai Mahofa; Cde Sandi Moyo and Hurungwe East MP, Cde Sarah Mahoka who gave the vote of thanks.
Cde Mupfumira also gave a speech during the celebrations.
Also in attendance were Politburo members Cde July Moyo, Cde Josiah Hungwe, Cde Joram Gumbo, Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Cde Douglas Mombeshora and Chegutu West MP, Cde Dexter Nduna.
Several central committee members from Mashonaland West also attended the celebrations.
When he was contacted for a comment yesterday evening, Cde Chidarikire said he made the introduction as a joke.
“That was a joke. I said tiri kuvati Acting First Lady but it can never be. I had joked that nekuti vaMnangagwa is Acting President, saka she is Acting First Lady.
“It was just a joke and I then corrected that statement that she cannot be acting First Lady because the First Lady is there,” said Cde Chidarikire.
However, another Politburo member who was in attendance and some poltical commentators castigated Cde Chidarikire for what they called a “joke in bad taste.”
“When Cde Chidarikire made the remarks, I couldn’t believe it. I really don’t understand why he thought of such a joke. He almost spoiled the celebrations that were going on well.
“We should respect the First Lady and such jokes border on disrespect,” said the Politburo member.
A political commentator who refused to be named said the incident was not different from the one involving Cde Hungwe who about a weak ago, received a serious backlash after equating VP Mnangagwa to Jesus Christ.
“This incident is just the same as the one by Cde Hungwe about a few days ago.
“Maybe its the adrenalin that will be pumping or its just over-excitement which makes politicians to cross the line. Really, what Cde Chidarikire said was uncalled for and was a joke in bad taste.
“Politicians should learn to restrain themselves when in public because what they say has so many ripple effects,” said the commentator.
Mutasa’s world crumbles
by Sunday Mail Reporter
Sunday, Dec 28, 2014
RENEGADE former Zanu-PF national secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa’s world continue crumbling as people from his constituency, Headlands are calling for his immediate recall from Parliament. This came out at a stormy meeting that was held at the Headlands Community Hall last week where over 700 party supporters called for the ouster of Cde Mutasa.
Senior political figures in Manicaland province have already called for the expulsion of the former minister from the party and the process to dump Cde Mutasa is set to be put in official motion at the party’s next Provincial Co-ordinating Committee meeting set to be held at the end of the week.
Fresh from being deposed from the Politburo at the Zanu-PF 6th National People’s Congress, Cde Mutasa has been caught in a new wave of shenanigans after bizarrely writing to Sadc to nullify results of the recent Congress and denigrating the party in interviews he held with the hostile sections of the media.
Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Mandi Chimene and Acting Manicaland Provincial Chairman Cde Samuel Undenge have already came out strong calling for Cde Mutasa’s expulsion from the party.
The Sunday Mail understands that during the meeting at the community hall, all the people in attendance called for the immediate recall of Cde Mutasa as their MP over allegations of trying to assassinate President Mugabe, corruption, nepotism and abuse of office.
He is also accused of giving land offer letters in exchange for bribes to white farmers in the province.
The meeting was addressed by Zanu PF Secretary for Transport and Welfare, Cde Oppah Muchinguri as she gave feedback to the people of Headlands Constituency on the 6th Zanu PF National People’s Congress.
Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs in the Politburo Cde Kudzai Chipanga who attended the meeting said there was an outpouring of anger aimed at Cde Mutasa.
“It was clear that people in Headlands no longer want Cde Mutasa to be their MP. They told Cde Muchinguri that it was no longer proper to continue working with Cde Mutasa because of the serious allegations that he is already facing, which include being part of the ploy to topple President Mugabe.
The meeting was attended by about 700 supporters who overwhelmingly voiced their concerns against Cde Mutasa”.
Cde Chipanga said the party would be doing a disservice to Headlands Constituency if it allows Cde Mutasa to continue as the legislator.
“It is the right of the people to see their MP but in light of these developments anyone who associates with Cde Mutasa stands accused of working in cohorts with him or being led into his agenda. So that is why we are also saying it is better to remove him from the party because Zanu-PF is bigger than individuals,” he said.
Sources who attended the meeting said Cde Mutasa was accused of using his influence to parcel out farms in Headlands Constituency to his family members.
“Most of the farms in the Headlands area are owned by Cde Mutasa’s close relatives. Even some of his relatives who are not resident in Zimbabwe have been allocated farms which they have never set foot on. One example is a farm called Homewood in Headlands which he allocated to his relative who is based in London, but who has never set foot on the farm,” said a source.
“He has also given offer letters to a number of white farmers in Headlands,” said the source.
Zanu-PF Manicaland Central Committee member and businessman Cde Esau Mupfumi said the party should not tolerate cadres who don’t follow party procedures.
He said Cde Mutasa needs to be disciplined and the next meeting of the PCC would recommend his expulsion.
Cde Mupfumi said if Cde Mutasa feels that he has been unfairly treated by the party he should use normal party channels to seek redress.
“The man is no longer disciplined and something needs to be done.
“Let us assume he was unfairly treated by the party, he was supposed to complain through the normal channels not to start shouting and denigrating the party while he was outside the country.
He needs to be disciplined because as a former senior party cadre he knows some of these procedures. So what he did, either he was out of his senses or he was deliberately undermining the authority of the President and the party,” he said.
Another Central Committee member from the province Cde Luke Masamvu said the provincial coordinating committee was likely to meet next weekend to determine Cde Mutasa’s fate.
“The PCC is expected to meet next weekend, chief among the issues to be discussed is the fate of Cde Mutasa. Constitutionally the province needs to recommend for his expulsion,” he said.
While Manicaland provincial acting chairperson, Cde Samuel Undenge was not picking up his phone, he last week told our sister newspaper The Herald that there were sentiments in the province that Cde Mutasa should be censured as his utterances did not show remorse.
Another Central Commitee member Cde Mandy Chimene has come out in the open saying the province should get rid of Cde Mutasa.
Contacted for comment on the increased calls for his expulsion from Zanu-PF, Cde Mutasa kept on saying; “Matii? Matii? Matii?,” before terminating the call. Later his mobile phone was no longer reachable.
Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere who a fortnight ago directed the party’s provinces to stop further suspensions was not available for comment.
Cde Mutasa is said to have roped in MDC-T and a Western –funded international NGO to subvert the will of the people so that he could be restored to his former positions in the party and the Government.
He is alleged to have used contacts in MDC-T to get the issue of his failure to land a Central Committee seat and dismissal from Government tabled at a meeting of the Socialist International Council, which met at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 12-13.
The Socialist International Council meeting was convened to discuss high levels of insecurity and threats to world peace.
Zanu-PF is not a member of the Socialist International Council although the MPLA of Angola, Frelimo of Mozambique, SWAPO of Namibia, ANC (South Africa), and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Tanzania) are members along with the MDC, the Botswana Democratic Party and Patriotic Front of Zambia which are listed as consultative parties.
While in India, Cde Mutasa reportedly phoned some leading figures of sister liberation movements in Southern Africa and South African President Jacob Zuma, alleging that his failure to land a powerful post in Zanu-PF together with former Vice President Joice Mujuru and the firing of some ministers was unjust.
In an interview with the Independent newspaper of South Africa, Cde Mutasa urged President Zuma to intervene and assist him to regain his post in Zanu-PF.
Cde Mutasa was roundly condemned by several political commentators and analysts for making all these reckless and desperate moves.
Mnangagwa under siege as Zanu PF infighting escalates
29th ⁄ December ⁄ 2014
HARARE – A mere three weeks into his tenure as President Robert Mugabe’s senior lieutenant, the knives are now being sharpened against Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa as Zanu PF’s ugly infighting refuses to go away and the party faction that worked together to decimate former anti-Joice Mujuru falls apart.
The Daily News learnt yesterday that among Mnangagwa’s new rabid critics are erstwhile colleagues who played a critical role in annihilating Mujuru and her perceived sympathisers, a development that paved the way for his Phoenix-like rise from the political ashes to the presidium.
The sources said Mnangagwa’s former supporters were not just “peeved by his meteoric rise to the VP position” while they had to “make-do with scraps”, they were also upset that he had seemingly forgotten them and was allegedly acting as if he was now “the substantive head of State” while Mugabe was on holiday.
As a result, some within the former anti-Mujuru grouping — particularly the so-called “Gang of Four” — now expeditiously wanted the tail of the party strongman cut.
The sources also claimed that it had not helped that the much-feared vice president had recently hosted parties and business persons in his home province, the Midlands, where some of the disaffected hardliners had not been invited to.
Worse still, some of Mnangagwa’s most fervent followers, such as Psychomotor minister Josiah Hungwe, had made the fatal mistake of praising him overzealously at these gatherings — at worst silly faux pas that the hardliners had expediently latched on to, in their quest to cut Ngwena down to size.
“There are some within the victorious camp who feel that Mnangagwa in the first place did not deserve to be vice president after doing virtually nothing during the Mujuru demolition job where First Lady Grace Mugabe was used to turn President Mugabe against Amai Mujuru,” a well-placed source told the Daily News.
He said in particular the so-called “Gang of Four”— comprising senior party bigwigs Oppah Muchinguri, Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao and Saviour Kasukuwere — was allegedly working to undermine the VP and to “expose him as a power-hungry individual who is not fit to take over from Mugabe”.
This, the source added, supposedly explained why Mnangagwa, just like what had happened to Mujuru, was coming under vicious attack in the State media — “to discredit him as much as possible”.
Writing in the lickspittle Sunday Mail yesterday, a columnist who uses the bizarre pseudonym of Bishop Lazarus, and widely believed to be a senior Zanu PF bigwig, accused Mnangagwa of jettisoning party resolutions emanating from the party’s congress, and behaving like the deceased party stalwart Solomon Mujuru, who was widely regarded as a kingmaker.
Lazarus also queried why Mnangagwa had told a business delegation at his farm on the outskirts of Kwekwe that Zimbabwe’s indigenisation laws would be reviewed.
“Dear reader, there are two very worrying things about the statement above. The first worrying point is where this statement was made and secondly if indeed the VP said government would announce new business policies aimed at relaxing the indigenisation laws, then the bishop is amazed that the VP is throwing resolutions from the just ended Zanu PF into the dustbin so fast and furious,” the columnist said.
The columnist went on to say that it was also inappropriate for the VP to hold meetings at his Sherwood Farm, just like the late Solomon Mujuru had done.
“You see it starts with these courtesy calls at the farm and before we know it things get out of hand. There are so many places where these business people could have met VP Mnangagwa without raising any suspicion.
“Once upon a time, the bishop vividly remembers a famous farm somewhere in Beatrice where business people flocked to pay homage to some presumably powerful political skimmer who went on to get entangled in very dirty political games that are today haunting those he left behind.
“We don’t want a repeat of that in Kwekwe because that would be tragic and very unfortunate. VP Mnangagwa is a veteran politician and we hope he will move the courtesy calls to either his offices or some other place that suits his important office,” the columnist added.
The same paper also laid into the minister of State for Mashonaland West, Faber Chidarikire, yesterday for jokingly referring to Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxilia, as the acting First Lady.
“In my entire life I have never heard of an acting First Lady, where did he get that nonsense from. He is not the only one who is getting over-excited but most of these guys now regard Mnangagwa as the President,” a top Zanu PF official allegedly told the paper.
In an interview with the State media last week, Moyo also said people should not confuse Mnangagwa’s appointment as VP as anointment as Mugabe’s successor.
And Mugabe’s nephew, Zhuwao, also warned last week that those close to Mnangagwa needed to guard against getting too excited.
Respected political commentator and University of Zimbabwe lecturer Eldred Masunungure recently told the Daily News that Mujuru’s ouster would not translate into Mnangagwa’s automatic ascendency to the highest seat in government.
He said there were now two main factions in Zanu PF — namely the Gushungo (Mugabe’s totem) and Mnangagwa factions.
“The other two factions coalesced against Mujuru and now that they have decimated that faction, the question is which one remains the most dominant?
“To me the Gushungo faction is now in control of the party because Mugabe knows that real power lies in the party, not in the government, so Mnangagwa may not be the winner after all,” Masunungure said.
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