via Factionalism an attempt to dethrone Mugabe: Zhuwao – DailyNews Live 17 October 2014 by Jeffrey Muvundusi
BULAWAYO – Zanu PF politburo member Patrick Zhuwao says the current ugly internecine fights between two factions in the ruling party ahead of the crucial December congress were aimed at toppling President Robert Mugabe.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday at the Bulawayo Press Club, Zhuwao admitted that there was factionalism in the party although both factions have denied this.
“Factionalism within Zanu PF is really driven by the succession issue,” said Zhuwao, who is also Mugabe’s nephew.
“It is about positioning specific candidates to take over from President Robert Mugabe and that is what drives factions. What is now happening is people are now running to the person that they believe should succeed president Mugabe. And they say no, no shef tinemi thereby creating an alternative sector of power.”
Zhuwao, who in recent weeks has been heavily involved in the Zanu PF succession dogfights, said while factionalism was against democracy, it cannot be ignored.
“Admitting that there is factionalism in Zanu PF is like someone going to a New Start centre and getting help. These days nobody dies of Aids, it does not kill, what kills people is ignorance and fear,” said Zhuwao.
Zhuwao, who recently published a controversial opinion piece in the State media claiming that Mugabe faced a palace coup in Zanu PF, said his party was now divided into groupings.
“What is now happening is that we are now in different groupings.
“We are now attempting to have multiple centres of power and some of those centres I have described them as paper tigers because they have no real power and real mandate.”
He said the systematic solution to the rot in Zanu PF was the “institutionalisation of a singular source of power within Zanu PF.”
Mugabe’s nephew, who is one of the senior Zanu PF officials on tour with Grace Mugabe, said it was factionalism that led to Zanu PF in 2005 being reduced from a “constitutional majority to a parliamentary minority.”
Zhuwao however said talking about succession at this point in time was a misplaced idea as Mugabe was only a year into his term.
“Bringing forward such a discussion at this point in time is undemocratic because Mugabe was not elected to be succeeded immediately,” he said.
COMMENTS
So Mugabe now occupies a throne? And does that make him royal? He certainly acts as if he is.
Both Mugabe and the members of ZANU-PF need to get out their dictionaries and read the definition of democracy, because they apparently do not understand the concept.
If, as is alleged, factionalism is anti-democracy, then what is democracy without opposing viewpoints? Democracy is about individuals having the right and the opportunity to express their own opinions, in private, in public, in the media, and in the ballot booth without coercion. If anything ZANU-PF has shown that it is anti-democracy.
Throne, you mean piss-pot!
“Throne”, – you mean Piss-pot!
If like minded people who share the same opinions, wish to form a faction or a political party to support their common opinions, then that is a basic right in a democracy. Any individual or organization that opposes that right is opposing democracy itself.
For sure DL. Even my 10-year old daughter can unravel that. What does Zhuwao mean by “institutionalisation of a singular source of power within Zanu PF” as a democratic solution to undesirable factionalism? Is it not multiple power nodes that provide checks and balances to tyrannical tendencies in a democracy?… These guys devise high-minded platitudes to take the place of common sense as long as they sound sophisticated – like the ‘dialectical materialism’ that gave birth to Mugabe’s world view. So much for parrot education.
Did not bother the read the article because the heading puts sane people off. A 90-year old is way way too old to be in power. Zimbabweans are a docile lot why abuse them by speaking of an abnormal as if it were a normal.
“Bringing forward such a discussion at this point in time is undemocratic because Mugabe was not elected to be succeeded immediately,” he said.
What a stupid thing to say.
What is UNDEMOCRATIC is muzzling people from speaking about succession.
In a democracy no subject is beyond discussion.
In a democracy people can put their names foward if they think they can do a better job of running the country than the incumbent head whether its one year into his term or 6 months.
What is undemocratic is Grace trying to bully people into accepting Mugabe warts and all.
This Zhuwao person should just shut up and stop telling us about democracy
There is massive cracks in the Zanu dam wall. People down river must run away very fast.
Or, Mugarbage can stick his old,
decomposing and shriveled dick in it!
It worked for the Little Dutch Boy!
What qualifications does this boy Patrick Zhuwao have to make such comments on Zanu PF politics? Because he is Sabina Mugabe’s son, Robert Mugabe’s nephew? All of a sudden he is an authority on Zanu PF politics.
Cry Zimbabwe! Zimbabwe will never be a Mugabe Kingdom, never, never, never ever!