Prof Jonathan Moyo plot thickens

The recent police raids at the homes of two Zimpapers editors' and their offices were carried out to gather evidence that Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo is harbouring an ambition to take over from President Robert Mugabe in 2018, a senior Zanu-PF official has revealed.

The official said they were suspicions among the party's politburo that Prof Moyo was gearing to use the media to become President once Mugabe steps down, dies or relinquishes power in 2018.

"Moyo is famous for muzzling the Press as can be seen by the repressive Press laws like AIPPA that he crafted. It is suspicious that when he bounced back this time, he is bringing the independent Press that he fought so hard to destroy, closer to his bosom," said the official.

The official said party hardliners suspected Prof Moyo was putting together a media team to portray him in a good light and win the support of Zimbabweans for the presidency.

"It is an unspoken rule within Zanu-PF that no one from Matabeleland will ever rule Zimbabwe so everyone is worried about the blossoming popularity of Prof Moyo, especially with regards to his fight against corruption in Government. I think the raids were ordered to stop him in his tracks and kill his dream of ruling the country one day," the official said.

In an unprecedented shake-up, Prof Moyo appointed Edmund Kudzayi, suspected to be behind the Mai Jukwa character, Sunday Mail editor. He replaced the highly rated Brezhnev Malaba. Kudzayi is suspected to have written a story in 2010 that claimed Mugabe's daughter Bona was raped after drunken revels at a student party in Singapore.

The story alleged that Bona, who reportedly studied under the name Tracy Guvamombe was plied with spiked drinks by two Tanzanian students who went on to rape her. According to the story, the students insisted she had consented to sex with them.

Kudzayi was reportedly arrested on Wednesday morning after police seized laptops, hard drives, cell phones and other electronic equipment from his office.

A similar raid was carried out at the home of recently appointed Chronicle editor Mduduzi Mathuthu. Mathuthu was also plucked by Prof Moyo from the online newZimbabwe.com that he founded and edited. The publication has been in the past, critical of Mugabe and Zanu-PF.

Armed police are also said to have arrived at the office of the privately owned Zimbabwe Independent's editor, Dumisani Muleya, looking for him.

Early this month, Mugabe called Prof Moyo a "devil's incarnate," accusing him appointing "opposition" editors to state owned newspapers.

Mugabe said his party had been infiltrated by "weevils" bent on destroying it from within.

Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa later urged party youths to use gamatox- a potent pesticide, to deal with the "weevils."