via Elective congress becomes ejective 17 December 2014
In October, Mnangagwa was in a car crash with a bus belonging to Parirenyatwa hospital. From the citizenry, there was hardly a gasp of horror. Many suspected this to be, as they say at Zanu (PF) Rotten Row, ‘the machinations’ of the ruling party seeking to ruin Mujuru. The other possible reason was that the Mnangagwa camp was attempting to build up some urban myth about the man – a myth of invincibility.
This might very well be a plausible theory, for barely a heartbeat after his appointment to the position of VP, Mnangagwa supposedly-apparently-maybe survived an assassination attempt after his office was booby-trapped with cyanide. Again, Zimbabwe rolled its collective eyes and sighed. Another staged mishap? Who knows? What is clear is that with the country’s opposition parties in disarray, Mnangagwa may very well be the country’s next President.
Auxilia Mnangagwa was so overjoyed by her husband’s long awaited assent that she knelt and thanked President Mugabe for appointing Emmerson. Kerching! We’re moving on up, like the Jeffersons.
In the likely event that Mnangagwa does take over, he will be very aware that there is a more popular candidate, who was only excluded thanks to Zanu (PF) strong-arm tactics. His political survival will depend on the elimination of the threat of an overthrow. Mujuru has pledged her allegiance to the party, but has mentioned nothing about burying the hatchet. It is an open secret that 90% of the party’s provincial heads prefer an alternative leadership, which is why Mugabe changed the rules at the last minute – the elective congress became an ejective congress. The prevailing situation might be the calm before the storm.
If this is Mugabe’s most trusted lieutenant, his go-to-guy, his problem solver, then after Mugabe exits stage left, we can expect the exact same performance, even if the actors have changed.
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