via Charamba pushes for VP to take over – DailyNews Live Fungi Kwaramba, CHIEF WRITER • 8 February 2016
HARARE – A campaign to prop up Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to replace President Robert Mugabe started way back in 2014 and under-fire permanent secretary in the Information ministry George Charamba brought the subject into the public domain in June last year.
Charamba, who is accused by the Generation 40 faction and former Zanu PF leading lights such as Didymus Mutasa of leaning towards Mnangagwa in the brutal succession wars has of late been accusing some senior ruling party officials of being “successionists”.
Ironically, the name was coined by minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Jonathan Moyo who is associated closely with the G40 faction.
Moyo branded people raising the succession issue as “successionists” and this has not gone down well with Charamba and War Veterans minister Chris Mutsvangwa.
Charamba, who is reportedly the face behind the Herald columnist Nathaniel Manheru, first raised the succession issue last year in his column.
On June 6 last year, Charamba, who bizarrely declared that Mugabe was in the twilight of his long political career said he would lead the succession debate.
“In the twilight of President Mugabe’s leadership, we badly need a frank debate on leadership. I am ready to lead the charge right away, from as early as next week. Or else I quit.”
Insiders say Charamba was no doubt attempting to market his “godfather” Mnangagwa, who some accuse of harbouring presidential ambitions and also creating another centre of power contrary to the party’s 2014 congress resolutions to vest all powers in Mugabe.
Moyo said Manheru’s instalment exposed “Charamba’s lie that he & his lot support Pres Mugabe’s 2018 candidacy.”
A week later on June 13, Charamba fired salvos at the media that picked on the matter but went on to write that his boss was open to the succession debate which has ironically, become a taboo as various factions throw mud at each other and accuse each one of another of being a “successionist”.
“For a fact, President Mugabe has not gagged us from discussing leadership or succession, from discussing the life of this nation after him,” Charamba wrote then before the subject fizzled away.
And as the bloodletting fights in Zanu PF enter the homestretch, with this week’s politburo meeting set to be explosive as rivals who have been slugging it out for some time come face to face, Moyo yesterday claimed on twitter that Charamba, who is also Mugabe’s spokesperson is “holding a pen & a microphone to channel the agenda of his powerful handlers. A messenger!”
But Charamba has said that Mugabe will act on ministers who are abusing the State media and belittling his boss’ appointments something that the glib-tongued Moyo said can only be believed by idiots.
“Worship Charamba for all you want. It’s idiotic for you to believe Pres Mugabe speaks to his Ministers thru Charamba.
“There’s overwhelming & very serious evidence that Charamba & @HeraldZimbabwe have gone rogue against the President. Handei tione!”
Of late the State media has turned its guns on Moyo, something that the former Information minister exposes Charamba, a former subordinate of his.
COMMENTS