via No vacancy for president, Mujuru told – The Zimbabwe Independent June 6, 2014 by Elias Mambo/Herbert Moyo
A PEEVED President Robert Mugabe sent a senior politburo member to “advise” Vice-President Joice Mujuru that there is no vacancy for the Zanu PF presidency as the succession race intensifies ahead of Zanu PF’s December congress, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal.
Highly-placed Zanu PF officials said Mugabe took the pre-emptive action because he was exasperated by Mujuru who is said to be eyeing the top post in the event that Mugabe resigns or is incapacitated.
“The President (Mugabe) sent a confidant to tell Mujuru that he is still in charge and she should not campaign for the presidency because he (Mugabe) has no intention of relinquishing the presidency at congress,” said one party official, adding: “She was advised that there is no vacancy for the top post and therefore she should campaign for the vice-presidency or any other post.”
The sources further claimed that although Mujuru appeared to heed the message, she went on to tell members of her faction to go ahead with their campaign plans.
The succession debate is threatening to rip Zanu PF apart with Mujuru and Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said to be leading factions angling to succeed Mugabe, who, at 90, is battling eye and knee problems, and other undisclosed ailments. Mnangagwa and Mujuru have strenuously denied harbouring presidential ambitions or leading factions, insisting they are loyal to Mugabe.
Recently, Mugabe said the people would decide his successor when the time comes.
While addressing members of the Gushungo clan at Murombedzi Growth point in Zvimba, Mugabe said: “Izvi tirikutaura nekuti kumaprovince akawanda kwanga kune nyaya iyoyo yekudhivhaidhana kuti vamwe varikunzi ndevaMai Mujuru pane zvesuccession, vamwe ndevaminister Mnangagwa vachinzi ndovaviri varikuda kuzotora chigaro chaPresident kana varitaya (Mnangagwa and Mujuru are not the only candidates to succeed me; in many provinces we hear of divisions along factional lines under these two).
“Vanhu vanosarudza vavanoda. Handi vaviri ivava chete. (People are free to choose any other person they think is the best candidate besides these two).”
The sources said the subsequent endorsement of Mugabe by his home district of Zvimba was also part of the strategy to pre-empt any subsequent attempts to challenge his position.
Last month, Zanu PF’s Zvimba district comprising legislators Ignatius Chombo, Walter Chidhakwa, Ziyambi Ziyambi as well as chiefs endorsed Mugabe in a move meant to set the tone for other districts and provinces to follow suit.
“The thunderous victory in last year’s harmonised elections was testimony that the people enjoyed President Mugabe’s leadership on a variety of issues,” Chombo is reported to have said at the Zvimba meeting.
“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.
“Mugabe must continue to head both the party and government.”
COMMENTS
…AND SO THE CIRCUS (DEADLY AT THAT) CONTINUES
Zanu-of must come out with a clear strategy on its leadership succession theory.In any party the president is supposed to be successed by the vice president
Therefore everything is straight forward,Mujuru need not campaign now
She was voted for in the last elective
congress.Mr Mnangagwa is an outside at
the moment.Unless and until he is voted
vice president at the next electove
if an election is held at all,or it will be a congress by appointments.This is not strange at all in ZANU-PF
Mugabe is 90. He is the only person who thinks that there is no vacancy for the presidency… in fact we need a new leader. Let Mujuru and Mnangagwa challenge for the presidency. Why not? 90 is too old and the country needs leadership.
No vacancy huh? There are PLENTY of vacancies. All of them have done enough damage to our beautiful country & they ALL need to go! We need a fresh start. We don’t want leaders that use a war that ended 34 yeras ago as an excuse to hold all of us hostage & plunder & loot OUR resources!
Isn’t it so really pathetic ??
Seems ‘the people’ are the military
So our cup of misery is not yet full? Nhaiwe NeHanda iwe kuchazova riniko? When will this ransom be paid?
I wonder if anyone of the ZPf bigwigs actually sleeps at night. They fear each other. There is utter mistrust and distrust. No one knows who is who and Zimbabwe has become a nation of evil ears. God’s judgement is falling. Zimbabwe must repent and may God expose EVERYTHING
The country is in autopilot at the moment and Mugabe has the audecity of saying that there is no vacancy. Mugabe zvaunoudzwa namai muri mugudza hamubudi nazvo mumba.
The military is in charge they want to takeover the presidency its all clear
then they should do now
we are watching…..have been watching events unfold…..history being made….time going……etc. The downward trend continues. What can we do….These people know what the nation needs….but they put sticks in the ears. We are not asking for REGIME change, but policy seriousness coupled with POLICY urggency. Nguva hapana. Team yakabaiwa. The economic woes are continuing
Matotsi haagereane. So Bob has to send someone to convey a message to Joyce? Gotta ask why he can’t do it himself….what is he afraid of?
Seems to me every one of these murderers have a hold over each other.each one knows huge secrets about each other and they use that to threaten and keep each other in check.
Between them they know who killed who from Edson Sithole to Chitepo to Duri. They know who has stolen what from the country and where it is all being kept.
Its these sordid secrets which prevent Robert from sacking these people no matter how much they mess up. Why else does Robert turn a blind eye when Chombo openly meddles in the running of councils.The deadly secrets are the glue which binds this bunch of thieves and cold blooded murderers.
They probably are more than delighted when one of theirs dies and breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they didn’t confess on their death bed.
I believe there is a vacancy at the top…well, perhaps more precisely a vacuum…at the top of Bob’s body, between his ears.