Madhuku: Grace risks assassination

via Madhuku: Grace risks assassination 16/10/2014

OUTSPOKEN opposition National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) leader Lovemore Madhuku says President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace risked possible assassination by her Zanu PF backers if she went ahead and tried to succeed her ‘decomposing’ 90-year-old husband.

Speaking during a SAPES Trust panel discussion Thursday evening, Madhuku said the First Lady was being used by the Emmerson Mnangagwa faction within Zanu PF to ensure Vice President Joice Mujuru, who is the Constitutional heir to the Presidency, did not ascend to the throne in the event of Mugabe’s death.

Madhuku, however said she should stick to the script and not try to become the country’s president, something he said opened her up to being killed by her own sponsors.

“Grace would be killed. It’s a very sad thing… Grace would be assassinated when her husband dies; she thinks she can continue in politics. It won’t take time.

“It would be a matter of seconds, she will be killed. As soon as Mugabe dies, I would advise the military she needs maximum security in this country.

“She will not be in politics beyond that. They are using her for this period. Because they don’t want to look her in the eyes, she would be killed.”

The garrulous first lady has ruffled many feathers within the ruling party through firing live shots at party rivals she accuses of burning the midnight candle plotting her husband’s ouster.

Critics say she was preparing the stage to succeed Mugabe fearing she would lose the first family’s vast business empire if she was not correctly positioned for a post-Mugabe era.

Madhuku said President Mugabe was now in a comatose state and needed a trustworthy individual he could unleash within Zanu PF so that he could make sense of what was happening and relay it to him.

“We are now in a state of our politics where we have what l call a decomposing Mugabe…The president is alive but decomposing, he is in office but decomposing,” Madhuku said.

“That’s a serious state in our country when you have a president who is in office but decomposing.”

Madhuku said the 49-year-old first lady was now the de facto president of the country and was also being prepared for a politburo and cabinet post by an increasingly senile Mugabe to sniff out party rivals plotting his ouster.

But the firebrand University of Zimbabwe lecturer said Zimbabweans would not sit idle as the Mugabes try to create their own dynasty.

“She can be chairperson of the Zanu PF women’s league, fine; she can be a member of the Zanu PF politburo, fine; she can run around the country and shout at Zanu PF ministers, fine; she will not be President of this country; that will never happen.

“Grace, the President of Zimbabwe! When we are there? Not at all! We don’t want any Mugabe person again…for the next 210 years, there should be no one related, directly or indirectly to Robert Mugabe.

“You cannot have a country where you say l ran it for 34 years and when l left my wife took over…people have to find any unlawful means of stopping any insanity by Zanu PF that would want to leave us with Grace Mugabe as President.”