Grace Mugabe pushed the generals to the edge

University of Zimbabwe (UZ) political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure said although former President Robert Mugabe was a shrewd politician, he did not foresee a military takeover.

"I have always referred to him as a Machiavellian political operator, who understands the logic of power and I think power tends to intoxicate its holder," he said.

"I think he had become so arrogant that he did not appreciate that the pillar of the military also has its sensitivity and interests that were being harmed by the manner in which it was being ridiculed in public by the former first lady."

Masunungure said Grace pushed the generals to the edge with her abrasive approach to politics and her unbridled ambition.

The former typist enjoyed the backing of a Zanu-PF faction known as G40 and towards her last days the group was pushing for the annihilation of the Lacoste faction linked to Mnangagwa.

"I think the former first lady was not very diplomatic in the manner in which she articulated her interests and ambitions," Masunungure added.

"It is her intemperate language and gestures of not being sensitive to the nature of the security forces and their interests, and that the military, is particularly a sensitive institution.

"It is a pillar of support anywhere else but here it was particularly in respect of the Mugabe regime and what she was doing was to erode the confidence of the military and within it, the army."

Mugabe had always relied on the military for political survival, but the arrival of his 52-year-old wife on the political scene in 2014 changed the dynamics.

Grace appeared to be determined to succeed her husband but the push was bound to rub Mugabe's backers in the military the wrong way.

Masunungure said it was possible that the generals reached out to Mugabe to rein in his wife, but the veteran ruler could not do anything because of his advanced age.

"As I understand it, the security forces did express their anxiety about the manner in which the former first lady was addressing the military and the security chiefs, particularly those in the army and within it, General Constantino Chiwenga," the academic said.

"She could have expressed her concerns, if she had any, to her husband who was the president but she managed to alienate a critical cog of the Mugabe regime and when you do that the wheels tend to come off as they did in mid-November this year."
Mugabe could have also seen that a coup was imminent but was still not able to tame his wife, Masunungure said.

"You should also appreciate and acknowledge that the former president is of an advanced age and advanced fragility health-wise so his mental and physical stamina are increasingly diminished and as a result he may not have had enough control as he previously had even within his own household, including controlling his wife," he said.

"He failed to rein in his wife to ensure that she did not act beyond the constitutional and legal confines of her role.
"She did not have any constitutionally defined roles except that on the title ‘first lady' and beyond that, she had no official government or constitutional role to play in the governmental affairs of this country."

Masunungure said Grace had also alienated influential people in Zanu-PF, creating a fertile ground for a popular uprising against the world's then oldest leader.

"She alienated many, not just in the military but in the party. The manner in which she ridiculed, humiliated and embarrassed many of the seniors in the party, including some old enough to be her father or grandfather."

"I think she did things in the wrong way. She was not as political as she ought to be."