via ‘Mugabe won’t go’ – DailyNews Live by Fungi Kwaramba 11 MAY 2014
Despite his advanced age and the mounting economic woes the country is grappling with, President Robert Mugabe is not leaving office yet, with his closest ally in Zanu PF Didymus Mutasa yesterday declaring that the 90-year-old veteran leader is here to stay.
Mutasa told the Daily News on Sunday in a brief interview yesterday that they wanted to entrench Mugabe’s grip on power such that they are considering coming up with laws that criminalise the discussion of Mugabe’s succession publicly and in the media.
He also warned journalists against publishing stories on Mugabe’s health saying the regime will deal ruthlessly with such scribes.
Mutasa told the Daily News on Sunday that journalists and people who fuel speculation on Mugabe’s health should be punished severely.
“Such news (discussing Mugabe’s succession) will lead us to arrest journalists, vanhu vanonyepa ngavabatwe vachiendeswa kumajeri, (People who lie must be jailed) working on the stories,” said Mutasa, whose party commands a two thirds majority in Parliament and can therefore pass such draconian legislations.
Critics say discussing Mugabe’s succession or his retirement — even though he is showing signs of strain — is now taboo not only in the ruling party but across the country because Zanu PF cannot fathom a future without him.
Mutasa, a close confidante of Mugabe, has in the past made it clear that people are wasting time eyeing the aged leader’s post saying the Zanu PF hierarchy and constitution explain that vice president Joice Mujuru will take over in the event of the president’s incapacitation.
He insists that for now Mugabe will not go anywhere and said no discussion around the veteran leader’s succession would be entertained at the party’s congress in December.
But commentators were quick to dismiss Mutasa yesterday. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson Dhewa Mavhinga said Mutasa was living in the past.
“Zanu PF should stop threatening and intimidating journalists who have constitutionally-enshrined media freedoms. No amount of harassment or intimidation will make Zanu PF’s big problem of succession go away. Instead of deflecting attention, Zanu PF should be busy working hard towards an orderly resolution of the succession problem,” said Mavhinga, a critic of the ruling party.
Given his advanced age, it is not clear if Mugabe will still be around to choose a successor, but analysts warn that his failure to appoint one presents a very dangerous scenario for his party.
Mugabe’s repeated trips to Singapore for regular check-ups have only added fodder to the speculation that he would soon appoint a successor, but infighting in his party has made such a move contentious.
Mugabe says although he has names of the likely candidates to succeed him, it is only the masses that will make the ultimate selection.
Frontrunners to replace him are Mujuru and Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who have been manoeuvring to take control of party organs critical for ascendancy come the elective December congress.
Interestingly, the impending congress offers Zanu PF a chance to map the way forward in preparation for 2018, but the top brass is adamant that they are no vacancies, especially in the coveted presidium — presently occupied by Mugabe, Mujuru, party national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo and Mutasa.
Senior Zanu PF officials have in the past weeks been secretly lobbying for leadership renewal at the upcoming congress, questioning the point of having an elective congress if the party was averse to change.
On the other hand, the opposition — although fractured — has been piling pressure on Mugabe to step down with Simba Makoni leader of Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MDK) last week saying the veteran leader should retire because he is trapped in the past.
Makoni, a former Zanu PF politburo member said whenever he meets Zanu PF officials, they would be discussing about change but are afraid to come out.
But Mugabe is taking no notice, and is plodding on, impervious to the distress calls from an economy that is teetering on the brink of collapse resulting in the crumbling of social services delivery such as health.
In his early years in power, Mugabe expanded public education and health services that were the envy of the continent and is celebrated by his ardent supporters as a champion of black empowerment, a liberation hero and a crusader against neo-liberalism.
His populist policies, particularly the land reform programme led to an economic meltdown that began in 2000 and continues unabated as his clueless government fails to provide answers.
Unemployment has soared to an estimated 85 percent.
Hundreds of long-established companies have closed down, often blaming Mugabe’s new black empowerment laws that compel companies to give black Zimbabweans 51 percent control.
Mugabe has blamed the economic slump on Western travel sanctions, imposed on him personally and his closest associates.
COMMENTS
He will go, the only question is when
When he dies…. The sooner, the better.
Does he honestly think he will live till eternity? Highly unlikely. The sooner he finds peace with himself, the better.
mugarbage will meet his maker soon, no amount of laws will save him from meeting the mudzimu’s of all the people he has killed
Only God can say that Mugabe will not go.
I doubt that God thinks much of Mugabe…
Bob’s ass belongs to his buddy, Satan.
Eternity is a very long time and I have heard that hell is a very hot place.
The dead know not anything but the living know they shall surely die, so does Mutasa.!!
Mugabe is old. Its normal for old people to have one foot in the grave and for people to speculate about them dying especially if they happen to be in the public eye and also especially if the old person in question is no longer wanted or revered by those around him. Few people will be releasing doves into the air and flagilating themselves and begging God to save Mugabe for one day longer than is necessary.
In fact the opposite is true each time he goes to Singapore people will be hoping he comes back in a body bag. Epydydymis Mutasa should be asking himself why stories of Mugabe’s demise (or in fact his -Mutasa’s own)facinate and sort of bring joy rather than trouble Zimbabweans. He brought it upon himself. Mutasa should not be fooled to see the heroes acre bursting at the seams when Bob goes. People only want to see that he is definitely gone and not coming back.
I make no apologies.
This would be a true indicator of whether the people of Zimbabwe really want Zanu. Seeing there are millions of us in the diaspora let them cast their “vote” in their respective countries at selected venues . The logistics can be worked out. This sample test will show the UN and others what is happening. The UN is not doing a good job at all instead they are trying to appease brutal regimes instead of removing them when they have broken the universal charter. If the Korean War was a lesson then it is obvious you are being manipulated by others.
Mutasa is crazy in the head. Is Mugabe an ancient King whose health and succession must not be discussed? Are we in the 21st century or are we back in the stone age? All these mad old men must go now!!!!
Thanx for copying my blogger name mandy. However it is I hope the motive is not evil.
When are ZPF going to wake up. They should have one leadership renewal decades ago. Zimbabwe belongs to God first-its Creator-and then to the people. He must just go and retire. PF with a bit of gumption. The whole nation suffers everytime he opens his mouth. “Lord please have mercy on Zimbabwe”
Who thought mandela would leave us he was 91 years so what’s so special about mugabe its a question of time soon there will be a funeral & a lot of pple will be arrested 4 nothing
Whenever he may pop his clogs, have no doubt that the masses will wail and weep as if their saviour has departed. It will be such that one would never guess that his legacy is one of such brutal repression. Zimbabweans celebrated when he came to power and they will actually mourn his death. There will be all the normal apologies, I am sorry, I was forced, I didnt know, etc etc and everyone will say it is ok, we are sad our liberator is gone but we will implement all of his “plans”. Wow, great future to look forward to!
Maybe us zimbabweans like being oppressed and being trampled on and having no future. How stupid are we?
So lets talk and speculate about your health as well diddy….we will talk about anything we want, who asked you to take your head out of the sand??
Oh, Diddy what sad old buffoon you are. Perhaps you’ve heard of the term “tin-pot dictator”. It looks like RGM has achieved an African miracle, so common as to be a continental joke. Turning a once prosperous nation into a shambolic caricature where greed, corruption and self-entitlement are the preserve of the Zanu elite – like you! History will not be kind to you and your ilk. There will be a reckoning. You and RGM will be long dead but rest assured historians of impeccable research credentials will portray Zanu as the rapists, torturers and thieves you are. I hope you realise people are laughing at your delusional Stalinist media vendetta?
all I can say is DICTatorhip……I WENT TO CHAPLIN HIGH IN GWELO GWERUE WHAT EVER THE NEW NAME IS…..THERE WERE 4 HOSTILS coghlan duthie maitland lenfesty I was in lenfesty we had soccor fields rugby fields today chaplin is a ghost school brokinn windows all the furniture from the hostels are gone that was once of the top schools people of Zimbabwe you need to rise again and take your land it belongs to you NOT MUGARBAGE……AND IF IT MEANS KILLING PEOPLE ESPEIOUSLY ZANUPF….THEN GO FOR IT….YOU NEED TO SHOUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
I went to Prince Edward, so I know Churchill wee.
It was a great competitor and a well respected school.
So were St. Georges, Allan Wilson and Ellis Robbins.
They are probably all deteriorated now, mere shells
of their former academic and sporting selves!
Such a shame, that ‘Liberation’, also means ‘Destruction’!
“vanhu vanonyepa ngavabatwe vachiendeswa kumajeri”
This is the same Mutasa who allegedly ended up in hospital for taking sex pills. You cant imprison the truth idiots!
You can’t build a one tribe nation. It is this fallacy that led zimbabwe to what it is today. Am afraid mugabe’s departure will not change anything as long as this mentality remains. Mutasa is still looking at the grand plan and knows that mugabe is its strongest advocate and no one besides him is able to push the plan through seeing he has managed over 60 per cent of it.
What! At 79 Diddy needs sex pills? Charlie Chaplin didn’t. And he also played the sad old clown. Diddy, you might want to get in touch-limply- with Mrs Hand and her five lovely daughters. Not much will come of it unfortunately. Still, there’s always RGM!(might have to wake him).