Grace Mugabe's sponsors misreading game

Despite widespread belief that grace Mugabe's formal entrance into Zanu-PF's high stakes politics was a result of cunning manipulation by a faction within the ruling party and some analysts say her sponsors may have miscalculated badly regarding her ambitions.

The strong suspicion that Grace may be a sponsored decoy was given impetus last week when outgoing Women's League boss Oppah Muchinguri said her caucus had seen it fit to rope in Grace to clip the powers of some unnamed people who were becoming too powerful ahead of the party's crucial December elective congress.

Analysts say Grace's elevation appeared to be at least a case of mutual manipulation where both parties are now driven by their own clear interests.

Eldred Masunungure said those who had proposed Grace to lead the League wanted a saviour while she in turn wanted to protect her family interests in the event that her husband leaves the political stage.