Mnangagwa douses Mujuru gaffe

As the battle to succeed President Robert Mugabe rages on, Justice minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa used a Parliamentary question and answer session on Wednesday to douse Vice President Joice Mujuru's gaffe in which she appeared to condone corruption.

Mnangagwa, the Zanu PF legal affairs secretary long touted as a  successor to the 89-year-old President, said no to corruption.

The 65-year-old  minister used wit, humour and melodrama to quash his rival Mujuru's suppurating gaffe that exploded after she told a weekend women's conference that the media must back off from writing about parastatals' corruption.

And it was Mnangagwa, as leader of the House, who doused the flames for Mujuru in Parliament as MDC MPs Nelson Chamisa and Settlement Chikwinya rounded on the majority party.

"Pane muonera pamwe here muhurumende kana kuti angova mazvake mazvake? (Is the government talking with one voice on this issue or it's now a free for all?)," Chamisa asked.

In what is viewed as a bid to convince opposition and ruling party backbenchers that he was best-suited to succeed Mugabe and run the 50-year-old party hampered by factionalism and corruption, Mnangagwa insinuated that Mujuru was misquoted when she came across as condoning corruption.

"Iyi yawataura iyi yaVice President venyika, vakapindura wani zuro kuti aiwa zvakataugwa, zvirikubuda mumapepa, hazvisizvo zvandakareva. Ko  kuti vakataura havo nechirumbi, asi ndozvavakareva.

"Aiwa, Zanu PF kubva kumusoro kusvika pasi, nevanhu vose, nemwivo, toziva kuti hamutsigiri huori imi veMDC, hamutsigiri huori, makafanana nesu, hatitsigiri huori (Talking the Vice President's issue, she replied that what was published is not what she said. She spoke in English, but that is what she said. From top to bottom, Zanu PF is averse to corruption. We know you as MDC are also against corruption)," Mnangagwa said in a preaching tone.

Then Chikwinya interjected saying Mujuru had suggested that the discourse was outlawed from reportage in newspapers.

This gave fodder to Mnangagwa to take Chikwinya to the cleaners.

"Rega ndimbovonesa mumwe wangu uyu, vokuda kuziva zvinhu zvisiri mundima yokwake. Vamwe nevamwe vane ndima dzavo. Hazvitishamisi kuti asvasvavira. Isu vendima iyoyo yawabvunza tirikuwirirana zvisingabviri kuti huori hwakaipa, kubva bva kumusoro kusvika munhu arikumusha kumaruzevha havadi huori  (Let me help my colleague who loves poking his nose into other people's affairs. He must focus on his party, but we are not surprised he is interested in Zanu PF affairs. We are united in Zanu PF that we must put an end to corruption, from top to bottom.)"