Mugabe defers politburo, again

via Mugabe defers politburo, again October 23, 2014

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has, for the second time inside one week, postponed his party’s politburo meeting to tomorrow raising speculation that the Zanu PF leader was hesitant to meet his peers following his wife Grace’s recent acerbic verbal attacks on Vice-President Joice Mujuru and other top party officials.

The potentially volatile meeting was initially scheduled to take place yesterday before it was moved to today and later, Friday.

First Lady Grace Mugabe caused a storm in Zanu PF over the past two weeks when, during her “Meet the People Tours” across the country, tore into Mujuru’s camp accusing it of fanning factionalism. She also described the Vice-President as corrupt, jealous, divisive and no longer suitable to remain in the Presidium.

The First Lady threatened to force her husband to dump Mujuru at the party’s elective congress in December. She also sensationally claimed that opposition MDC and Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn parties were both formed at Mujuru’s house, adding that the Vice-President was harbouring ambitions to topple her husband.

Since then, Grace has avoided meeting Mujuru and snubbed her twice at the Harare International Airport when the First Family left for Rome, Italy on Friday night and on their return on Tuesday.

Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo yesterday confirmed the postponement of the meeting to tomorrow saying
Mugabe had other pressing commitments.
Although Gumbo did not shed more light on Mugabe’s programme, NewsDay understands the veteran leader would preside over a graduation ceremony at the Harare Institute of Technology.
“Yes, the meeting has been postponed to tomorrow to allow the President to go ahead with his earlier scheduled programmes,” Gumbo said.
Political analysts yesterday said the continued postponement of the crunch politburo meeting signalled tension within the ruling party.
“It’s a high stake meeting. There could be discussions going on before the meeting,” analyst Ernest Mudzengi said.
Another analyst, Charles Mangongera said the postponements could be part of a strategy to allow tempers to cool down or enable Mugabe to gauge the mood in both camps before bringing them to the negotiating table.
“There could be practical reasons for postponing it. They want to deal with tension in the party. Obviously, for the past two days, there could have been people stampeding to brief Mugabe of the developments and he could be buying time to assess the submissions by both camps,” Mangongera said.
Grace, who today is expected to host a faction of the war veterans association and collaborators at her Mazowe Orphanage, has angered several party officials who yesterday vowed to ensure she was reined in at the politburo meeting.
Politburo member and former Midlands governor, Cephas Msipa yesterday said:“The First Lady has been going around the country insulting people, people are angry, people are bitter, party members are not happy with what she did.

“People from Bulawayo are likely to raise the issue on Friday, after she accused them of dividing the party and being preoccupied with Zapu.”

Msipa said he was bemused that people were being castigated for canvassing for the Vice-Presidency, saying they had the right to campaign for the post.

“As former Zapu, we chose SK (Simon Khaya Moyo), but (Phelekezela) Mphoko, (Kembo) Mohadi and (Naison) Khutshwekhaya (Ndlovu) do not want him, as they feel they are suitable for the post,” he said.

Ndlovu has since dropped from the race, throwing his lot behind Mphoko, while former Zipra stalwart, Ambrose Mutinhiri was the other candidate for the post.
Meanwhile, local media organisations yesterday implored Grace to stop publicly attacking journalists as doing so would jeopardise their security.

Grace fired a salvo at journalists during her Marondera rally last week accusing them of taking bribes to write negative reports about the First Family.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Zimbabwe chapter chairperson Kumbirai Mafunda in a statement said: “Misa-Zimbabwe notes with very grave concern recent attacks and threats against the privately-owned media by Zanu PF and government officials, including First Lady Grace Mugabe, which pose serious risk to the safety and security of journalists.”

Mafunda said politicians and public officials “who wield immense power should exercise emotional restraint when addressing their excitable supporters.
“Journalists as is the case with any other citizen should instead feel safe when in the company of the First Lady or any other influential persons who have the constitutional obligation of ensuring their right to personal security,” he said.

Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum (Zinef) chairman Brian Mangwende added politicians should not be ambiguous in their statements as this could result in all sorts of interpretations which could infuriate them.

“Singling out individual journalists and media organisations has the potential to endanger the safety of scribes especially in a volatile environment such as the one currently obtaining in Zimbabwe where intra and inter-party turmoil is rife,” Mangwende said.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) said it was irresponsible for the First Lady to single out private media journalists and label them appendages of the opposition.

“As ZUJ, we feel that labelling journalists as MDC supporters or attempting to fish them out in a politically charged environment such as a rally where there were earlier clashes compromises their safety and security,” ZUJ said.

“The Union condemns any attempts by public officials, politicians or other powerful individuals or institutions to threaten, silence or endanger journalists for doing their work.

“We appeal to public officials to avoid actions or language which could result in journalists having their safety and protection compromised.”