via ‘Mugabe for life’ – DailyNews Live by Lloyd Mbiba 28 MAY 2014
A scramble to endorse President Robert Mugabe’s candidacy for the 2018 national elections has strengthened views that Zanu PF factions have been desperate to outdo and block each other in the race to succeed the 90-year-old leader.
These self-serving moves come as the Zanu PF leader is buffeted by a myriad of health problems, including eye cataracts, and the country is in need of diligent leadership to stir it out of the current economic quagmire.
And as the factional fights escalate – to a point that there are nearly seven groupings vying for power – party hardliners have been using proxies such as the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) and Gushungo clan to endorse Mugabe in a bid to mask their interest.
The unprecedented development and nomination also means that the nonagenarian will be a life president as no one will challenge him at the December congress.
This is despite reports in South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper at the weekend that Mugabe will quit in December due to old age.
As it is, the Zvimba District has led an aggressive campaign to endorse Mugabe, with Senate president Edna Madzongwe listing a number of accomplishments of the incumbent administration at a belated Women’s Day commemoration.
With the Zanu PF leader turning 90, stark contradictions surrounding his endorsement are only part of Mugabe’s paradox; a counter-intuitive scenario that has secured the president the default support of the nation’s king-making, provincial leaders — without, experts say, addressing its most pressing problems.
All the provinces have already indicated they want to endorse Mugabe, even though there could be a challenge to vice president Joice Mujuru for the second secretary’s post.
As the congress approaches, some Zanu PF leaders are not amused by this scramble to endorse Mugabe, who will be 94 at the next elections in 2018.
Several Zanu PF leaders have rallied behind the former guerrilla leader’s candidacy.
Earlier, at a consultative meeting at Murombedzi Growth Point, Zvimba North legislator Ignatius Chombo, speaking off-the-cuff at times, meticulously crafted an argument that detractors have pushed a false narrative about Mugabe and that with a little more time, the economy will spring into action.
No doubt recognising that millions of jobless Zimbabweans pine for the prosperity of the ‘90s, Chombo pointed at ZimAsset to hint that the economy would soon show the same signs of life he saw two decades ago.
“The thunderous victory in last year’s elections was testimony that the people enjoyed president Robert Mugabe’s leadership on a variety of issues,” Chombo said at a meeting also attended by Mines minister Walter Chidhakwa, Francis Mukwangwariwa and the Chirawu chieftainship.
“He deserves to rule the country for more years. Since he was elected president of Zimbabwe, we cannot have another person to lead Zanu PF.
“He must continue to lead both the party and government.”
Several Zanu PF leaders claim Mugabe has laid the foundation for a new, modern successful economy and urged Zimbabweans to “keep president Mugabe on the job”.
Several of the officials making the endorsements, through much of their speeches, argue that the alternative would be much worse.
Academic and political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said the endorsement betrayed Mugabe’s grand plan.
“I am not surprised with what is happening because the president has made it clear that he wants to die in office,” Mandaza said. “So there is nothing unusual with officials endorsing him.
“I don’t know what it means for the future of our country but what I can tell you is that he intends to die in office.”
Alex Magaisa, a legal expert and ex-advisor to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, said the country will remain in the doldrums as long as Mugabe refuses to vacate office.
“The man wants to die in office,” Magaisa said.
“This much is now too obvious to even the most politically averse person. But the country will remain on ‘stand-by’ mode as long as he remains at the helm. It won’t move forward and no one will take us seriously. Everyone will just be waiting for the dawn of a new era whether provided by Zanu PF itself or the MDC or both.”
University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure, said what was happening was not surprising given how things have been carried out in the past.
“The captain will be unanimously endorsed by all provinces,” Masunungure said. “But we are likely this time not only to see the endorsement and nomination but endorsement as a life president. This will mean he will die in office or he will rule until he is incapacitated.
“No one will challenge Mugabe at the congress and the idea of succession is definitely not there. Mugabe will be endorsed in the December elections and maybe even in the 2018 elections. In other words, Mugabe is life president of the party and God willing, the life president of the country.”
He said this was becoming more apparent.
“It is imperative for Zimbabweans to orient themselves to this reality,” he told the Daily News. “As long as Zanu PF is in power and president Mugabe is around, he will be the leader of the nation.
“Going forward, we will see more of the same. We will see the factions’ fighting against each other. We will see the factions’ gladiating to strategically locate themselves in the right place, waiting for the right time when the captain passes on or is incapacitated.
“So we are likely to see a Zanu PF in limbo and the captain failing to steer the ship of the state out of the crisis that it is in.”
COMMENTS
A life of hell for all from a putrid corpse
Let the faction fighting (struggle) continue. Create more such groups. It is more important to you than attending fellow Zimbos needs. We dont care anymore
No sane human being can endorse a 94 year old candidate!
We as Zimbabweans must be the most absurd ‘Democracy’ in the world,
but the same OLD personalities, who come up with the same OLD ideas since 1980 keep appearing in the seat of power. yet we have a multitude of young vibrant possible leaders who have traveled and are not held back by personal historic hatred and know what needs to be done. Simple question to stake holders as a shop keeper would you want this 90 yr old watching over your till. As a farmer would you wand this 90 Yr old watching over yr planting.
As a miner would you want this 90 Yr old watching over your Head gear. So why would we want him in charge of a country??? yet he still is and looks to be going to stay!!!!!! good luck Zimbabwe
Another dim anti Mugabe article, cataracts do not prevent any one doing any job as it is a simple operation to remove and insert a lens, I had the operation at 45, and still work with 100% vision.
It is about time journalists were made to investigate before writing rubbish. What would a phone call cost to a local eye surgeon before making yourself look like an idiot.
Age is a problem but people handle it differently, some are reasonably fit at 90 others are deceased. This journalist certainly does not have the intellect to argue that point.
How many routine checkups have you had since this operation?
I also had cataract surgery on both eyes.
I also had it done in 25 minutes.
I also have had two follow up examinations -good!
I have another in 6 months, not 6 days,
like Mugarbage.
Beside those ‘youthful’ blood transfusions,
botox, hair dye, Mugarbage is going to Singapore
to hide the loot from Dubai, Lagos and Beijing.
He and dis-Grace are feathering the Hong Kong Northern
Territories mansiion for Bona non-fide and Robber Jnr.
Don’t you see?
@publicprotector (read zanupfprotector) Since when does cataract removal necessarily have anything to do with inserting a lense? Nobody alive today or who has ever lived is capable of running a country at the age of ninety. nob of course has only ever been capable of running a country down. There are non so blind as those who will not see. So, you and nob must go to the same hypothetical Eye Surgeon.
Hi
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Contact me on mail@hemmingsson.biz if you intend to make an offer in USD.
The man wants to die in office! So help him get his wish, An early Xmas present?
Why mourn about the monster you created for youselves mashona? You make too much noise ngomuntu wenu. We are not affected but that. Please have a different platform to lick your wounds!
Listen ladies and gentlemen. It should not matter by now what ZANU PF wants to do with its leadership. They can choose to appoint the dead to lead them, for all I care. It’s there prerogative.
We don’t get it. Mugabe is no longer the decision maker of what is going on in Zimbabwe. The army, the police and prison service in the persons of Chiwenga, Chihuri and Zimhondi are running the scene from the background, and Mugabe is the most convenient face of the regime.
In any case why should it matter who the head of ZANU PF is. Will you vote for him or her? The point is, don’t look at what ZANU PF does for us to take the necessary steps to rid ourself, yourself of this regime. Actually, if we have woken up from our reverie and realise that our freedom and rights are in our hands, we should b e celebrating that ZANU PF is continuing with the same old same, therefore there is no need to shift our allegiance to fight for our rights. Only, we need to fight, otherwise we will continue to lament forever. Stop predicating our political fortunes on what ZANU PF does.
Our work is cut out for us. We are responsible for our freedoms. Not ZANU PF, not Tsvangirai, not Biti, not Ncube. We, the people are, so we better take that at heart and do what is necessary to redeem our rights otherwise we will fall in the same trap in which the politicians will claim credit for liberating us from the ZANU PF regime and install themselves rulers over us.
Ruling for life is quit a significant leap in reasoning. Literally it means never ending, yet one can say with a degree of certainty, the soon Mugabe will be history. Whether his legacy will be admired by many, is yet another matter. But one thing for certain, he will be dead soon. Do I wish him well, not in this life and beyond.
How would any human being want any sort of job aged 94
Pray Zimbabwe pray. Do not hate or be bitter. When we hold unforgiveness we bind ourselves and the person and our country. By blessing those who despitefully use and abuse us we heap burning coals on their heads and the Lord will move in His own way. He is a God of justice.
My only worry is Mugabe is not doing his family any good except if Robert Junior or Chatunga takes over from him. The vultures waiting for him will be angry at the time it has taken them to lead and they will vent their anger on his family. He better picks up someone he can lean on now and that he he assures his family’s security and future. He is stepping on loose ground.
Please may the old man retire now.