via Grace Mugabe eyes top Zanu PF position July 25, 2014
IN a political development likely to shake the ruling Zanu PF party to its core ahead of its youth and women’s league congresses next month, President Robert Mugabe’s wife Grace is manoeuvring to enter the political fray by occupying the post of Women’s League boss.
Zanu PF is scheduled hold its main elective congress in December.
Grace’s entrance onto the political stage could change the dynamics of the succession matrix in Zanu PF, considering that the Women’s League has been powerful in influencing critical decisions in the party.
Women’s League chief Oppah Muchinguri, together with senior Zanu PF women in the provincial executives and politburo, is actively going around the provinces canvassing support for Grace — who celebrated her 49th birthday on Wednesday — to be appointed secretary for women’s affairs, a position she currently holds.
Mugabe appoints the secretary for women’s affairs, together with 62 other politburo members.
Zanu PF insiders in the Women’s League told the Zimbabwe Independent the league is lobbying for Grace to be appointed their leader as they did in 2004 when they influenced an amendment in the party constitution that catapulted Vice-President Joice Mujuru to the number two position in the presidium ahead of her arch-rival, Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa at the time had the backing of the required more-than-five provinces to be elected to the presidium.
The proposal was hatched by president of the Senate Edna Madzongwe at a women’s caucus meeting in Mashonaland West a week ago, and now has the full backing of Mashonaland West Women’s League chairperson Constance Shamu and her counterparts in other provinces.
A source said more than 3 000 district chairpersons from all provinces are scheduled to meet in Mazowe at the First Lady’s orphanage and state-of-the art school to consolidate their support.
“Zanu PF politics is now taking a new dimension, which is radically going to change the balance of power in the party. Both camps (led by Mujuru and Mnangagwa) were caught unawares and they are likely to struggle to regroup,” she said.
“Right now as we speak, buses have been dispatched to all provinces to ferry district chairpersons to a meeting of ladies in Mazowe. Here, I am talking about at least 3 000 district chairpersons from the women’s League converging in Mazowe. Some provinces have 300 or more districts, so multiply that by 10 provinces.”
Another Women’s League official said: “This is going to change everything in Zanu PF. Mai Madzongwe made the proposal and Oppah Muchinguri is now running with it. So you can see nothing is fait accompli in Zanu PF. This is going to cause a major upset in the two (Mnangagwa and Mujuru) camps.”
The source pointed out that for her support, Muchinguri was promised by the women that they would also lobby Mugabe to appoint her secretary for administration, which is currently held by Didymus Mutasa, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the chairmanship.
Zanu PF national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo is tipped to take over from the late Vice-President John Nkomo, who died in January last year.
However, there are a few stumbling blocks for Grace, including lack of experience in politics and the stringent rules and regulations recently endorsed by the politburo which party sources say are aimed at preventing the party from being destroyed from within.
According to the rules and regulations, candidates for the central committee, from which Mugabe appoints the politburo, must have served in the party structures for 15 consecutive years.
However, according to the Zanu PF constitution, 10 members are nominated by the presidency on account of their outstanding contribution to either the armed struggle or the country’s development after Independence.
The women’s league is pushing for Grace to be among the 10 that Mugabe l appoints.
Led by Grace, the Zanu PF Women’s League in 2004 proposed that one of the three senior positions in the ruling party should be allocated to a woman. Mugabe backed the move.
Thus Grace was influential behind the scenes, together with Muchinguri, in propelling Mujuru to the vice-presidency ahead of the Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa had managed to solicit the support of Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, Matabeleland South, Mashonaland West, Midlands and Mashonaland Central for the vice-presidency, but the constitution was amended to accommodate a woman as one of Mugabe’s deputies.
However, Zanu PF sources say Mujuru has since fallen out with Grace and Muchinguri. The fallout with Grace was allegedly over the Mazowe farm. It is widely speculated in Zanu PF circles that Mujuru threatened to take over the Mazowe farms which were acquired by the First Family for its dairy project, orphanage and school.
The move to have Grace appointed Women’s League boss will hurt the Mujuru faction, which seemed certain that its candidates SK Moyo and Mutasa were going to be elected to the presidium.
Said a close Mujuru ally: “We have heard of the manoeuvres but how will she get in when she does not meet the criteria for candidates for the central committee. These people are just trying to stop Mujuru, who is the most senior to succeed Mugabe, from getting the top job.”
Whilst Grace has been coy about her political ambitions, she has come out of her shell to fight on the frontline, particularly during election campaigns. She has also become an influential figure as she battles to ensure that the interests of the First Family are secured when Mugabe eventually leaves office.
Lately, Grace has been interacting with the women’s league, communities and general public. She also plans to build a secondary school and university.
Efforts to talk to Muchinguri were futile as she was said by her aide to be in senate and her phone later switched off.
COMMENTS
Remember what happened to Marie Antoinette ???????
yeah yeah yeah!
Nyika yamapofu…itai zvamunoda nesu baba vaChatunga. Ipai Grace huPresident tinongoramba tichiti Pamberi NeMusangano. tingadii isu tichitya kuurawa nguva isati yakwana. Vazhinji vakatotiza vogara SA, Zambia, botswana, Moza kana Uk, Canada, Australia zvose nokuRussia …todii?
wurayanai mhondidze vanhu
So the globetrotting isn’t enough? Ay dios mio [Oh my God!]
Dis-Grace the scheming so-so desired a man who belonged to another she got him by hook or crook.
Then she set out to oust her rival Sally and set up home with the not so grieving widower thats after having his love child.
She then ensured that her own husband was banished to a land afar like the Biblical Uriah.
To date she continues to have whatever her wicked heart desires.Of course the old geriatric she married can’t say boo. He has lost his teeth along with his mabbles over the years and where would he get someone supple enough to wipe his perenially drippy bottom. He puts up with Her Disroyal Wickedness.
The whole lot who occupy the so called Pollutiontiburo will grant her wish and vote enmasse for her to get the post she wants. Mugabe will endorse it as the will of the people(the people being the sheep)Soon she will rope in Bona and that other son of hers into important posts.
DisGrace will get her wicked heart’s wish. Her agenda all along.
I heard from reliable source that there is concern that disgrace may not out live her husband who is to die anyday as she apparantly has an extremely agressive cancer and is actually a very sick woman…..Anyone else have that infomation?
Head of it ,but I think it was a ploy to draw people’s attention from Mugabe’s constant visit to the Singapore hospital.
One can only hope the Lord has punished her so!
What kind of creature bleeds but never dies, disgrace Mugabe. wicked wicked woman. She will not leave until there is nothing left.
Let the sleeping dogs lie
what kind of country is zim with prostitutes and conmen in positions of power.
You hit that on the nail Supermondo.
#Supermondo you have hit it spot on. Our beloved country is being run by such people and we sit idly by like stooges.
The cult politics of discredited bogus freedom fighters. The myth of the bogus liberation movement. North Korea Cuba china Belarus equatorial guinea etc family dynasties. President grace. Vice president bona. Security chief chatunga etc.
Sounds like the First Sausage Jockey wants to step up and become the President of the Mafia State formerly known as Zimbabwe !
kkkkkkkk hehehehehe pwaaaaati GONO INCARNATE trying to position for the dynamics. December 2014 !
@ black aristocrat. I need that good laugh. Thank you
She could always become mini-star of “Women’s Affairs” – LOL. I think she has the qualifications and experience
how about a pole dancer.
People zim, now is the time to recognise that this country belongs to the Mugabe dynasty. They own the land inclusive of its inhabitants. Longh live mugaber. Pray that you don’t die anytime soon.
Being close to Mugabe has always been the only route to political power in Zimbabwe. Grace is closer than most and she is now leveraging this into a political post.
It is yet another manifestation of the failure of the politics of patronage.
Wonder where she will run to when Zanupf crash and burn?
She will run and hide in the Gucci sweatshops of
Ganphanyong, Seichie Province, China!
Whatever post she manoeuvres or is manoeuvred into, this is likely to be entirely dependent on Mugabe’s presence in this life. She would be wise to consider the fate of Chairman Mao’s last wife, Jiang Qing.
Qing, a member of the infamous Gang of Four, was brought down and charged with crimes by the CCP itself… just weeks after her husband died.
Nhai vanhuwe, zvirikumbofamba seiko kuita matakanyanyana akadai? ZANU(PF)nenyika yacho zvakutoita kunge ‘personal property’ yekwa Mugabe. Mangwana ndiChatunga mafuza eZimbabwe takangonyarara kunge takadyiswa.