Mugabe sneaks back into Zim

Source: Mugabe sneaks back into Zim – DailyNews Live

Fungi Kwaramba      29 January 2017

HARARE –  Warring Zanu PF factions, which were hoping to use President
Robert Mugabe’s return home from his month-long holiday in the Far East
with his family to outmanoeuvre each other, were left bitterly
disappointed when the wily nonagenarian quietly sneaked back into the
country late Friday night.

Although the country’s typically unreasonable security personnel barred
the Daily News from covering Mugabe’s arrival at Harare International
Airport  – only allowing State media to get close to, and talk to the
country’s long-ruling leader – well-placed sources told the newspaper that
the nonagenarian had deliberately chosen to sneak in quietly.

This was after warring Zanu PF factions had threatened to batter each
other at the airport upon Mugabe’s arrival, as the ruling party’s
seemingly unstoppable tribal, factional and succession brawls continue to
escalate.

A top government official who spoke to the Daily News last night confirmed
that Mugabe’s return back home had had to be “managed strategically”
because of the threats of violence among feuding Zanu PF supporters.

“We couldn’t afford to have the usual gathering at the airport today to
welcome the president because of the succession fights. All things being
equal, we will have a rally at the airport next week when he returns from
the African Union summit in Addis Ababa,” the bigwig said.

Another senior party official corroborated the claim saying there had been
real fears that there could have been a bloodbath at the airport if
Mugabe’s usual reception routines had not been changed.

“Gushungo’s (Mugabe’s) travel arrangements were successfully kept a
hush-hush affair, with only very few people in the know about when and how
he would return.

“I think this was very smart of the president and his close lieutenants
because anything could have happened today had the usual routines been
followed, with large crowds of bickering supporters there,” the official
said.

Indeed, there were neither the usual crowds of rank and file supporters,
nor the large contingent of Cabinet ministers and other senior government
officials and top securocrats who normally throng the airport to welcome
the nonagenarian each time he leaves or returns home from his myriad
trips.

Even the police details who usually man all the capital city’s major
intersections and traffic lights, along his home route from the airport,
were conspicuous by their absence.

According to well-placed sources, Mugabe did not say much to the few
officials who welcomed him upon his arrival, including vice president
Emmerson Mnangagwa, telling them about his leave, as well as his State
visit to China.

On Thursday, disaffected war veterans threatened to beat up ruling party
supporters who belong to Zanu PF’s Generation 40 (G40) faction who were
planning to denounce Mnangagwa upon Mugabe’s return.

The war veterans, who want Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe, claimed that the
G40 group, which is rabidly opposed to the Midlands godfather’s
ascendancy, was planning to transport thousands of party supporters to
Harare International Airport, to not only welcome the nonagenarian and his
family back, but to also humiliate Mnangagwa.

Another source who spoke to the Daily News last night also said it was in
this light that intelligence operatives had deliberately sent the media
and the warring Zanu PF factions on “a wild goose chase” about Mugabe’s
travel arrangements.

“In the interests of everyone, it was felt that it was safer to confuse
the warring factions and allow the president to arrive without facing this
difficult situation of having to choose one faction over the other.

“So, it was decided to do what we did for the sake of Gushungo and making
sure that no faction would claim psychological victory in the raging
succession wars,” the senior Zanu PF official said.

Speaking on Thursday, the disaffected leadership of the Zimbabwe National
Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) said it had “impeccable
intelligence” suggesting that the G40 had mobilised its supporters to
embarrass Mnangagwa at the airport by brandishing placards denouncing the
Midlands godfather for hobnobbing with sacked party officials during the
festive season.

“We want to warn them (G40 kingpins and their supporters) that they are
going too far. Kana vachienda kunogamuchira Mugabe ngavaende vanogamuchira
Mugabe (If they want to go and welcome Mugabe, then they should do just
that),” warned combative ZNLWVA secretary-general Victor Matemadanda.

“Vakada kusimudza maplacards ekunyomba (if they wave placards to embarrass
and provoke) VP Mnangagwa, we as the group from the liberation struggle
will fight back, not because we are saying Mugabe is not the president,
but because we are fighting on behalf of a fellow comrade.

“We know that they are making placards and we have put our people on
standby. Ngavafambe nawo maplacards acho tivone. Tinodzigura zviuno
chembere idzodzo. Vakangofamba nemaplacards vachiti Ngwena kudii-dii
tinovadira. Ende kumajere kwacho tavakukuziva tinokudzokera (Let them wave
their placards against Mnangagwa and we will teach them a hard lesson. We
will beat them up. We are not afraid to go back to jail),” he added.

“Iye president wacho ngaazive kuti varikuronga zvinhu zvavo vachida
kusvoora ED (Mnangagwa) he must reprimand them. Even vasina kuita, he must
tell them that this nonsense must come to an end, otherwise tozoti ndiye
arikuvatuma. (Mugabe himself must stop them and if he does not we will
conclude that he is the one who is behind them),” Matemadanda charged
further.

Two weeks ago, the Daily News also reported that some G40 members were
planning a meeting with Mugabe upon his return from his holiday, to raise
their concerns over Mnangagwa’s alleged plotting against the nonagenarian,
as well as against the infamous “Cupgate” saga.

Since the images of Mnangagwa holding the much-obsessed about coffee mug
(written I Am The Boss) emerged in the public domain, the G40 had gone to
town about the issue, interpreting it as the VP’s open statement that he
had unbridled presidential ambitions.

G40-linked party officials, who subsequently met at the Zanu PF
headquarters in Harare, issued a statement in which they called for a
probe into Mnangagwa for hobnobbing with the likes of war veterans’ leader
Christopher Mutsvangwa and maverick businessman-cum politician, Energy
Mutodi.