Key Mujuru ally in car accident

Mbire legislator David Butau - and a key ally of Vice President Joice Mujuru - was on Saturday involved in a car crash along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road, the Daily News reported.

Although the Dande Capital Holdings (Dande) founder escaped with no visible injuries - after running into at least six donkeys - a family friend said that he was still at a Bulawayo hospital yesterday for precautionary reasons, and determine if he had not sustained internal injuries.

"He was coming from a pre-budget seminar in Victoria Falls and we understand the accident occurred around the Umguza area, and he was driving his party-allocated Ford Everest," she said.

A long-time ally of the Mujuru family, the Harare businessman and several of the Zanu-PF number two's allies, including Ray Kaukonde, have been under the spotlight lately, and as internal jockeying intensifies ahead of the party's December elective congress.

About two weeks ago, Butau was singled out by President Robert Mugabe as one of the cogs behind defiant war veterans' leader Jabulani Sibanda.

In that episode, the 90 year-old leader claimed the Dande chairman had capacitated the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association leader with five cars.

Together with Kaukonde, Butau is seen as one of the key backers of the beleagured VP.

In recent times, the Mashonaland Central supremo was also named among the so-called "dirty dozen" members of parliament and as opponents continued to pile pressure on Mujuru.

Police authorities were unavailable to confirm the accident, but it is the timing of the mishap which is likely to stoke or fan speculation about the consequences of Zanu-PF's deadly factional fights and how it portends bad things to come for the Mujuru group.

Just after a fire - ostensibly started to "smoke out" a snake - had gutted a farmhouse at the VP's Tarisa Farm in Ruwa, the embattled Women's League stalwart sent tongues wagging by telling the Sunday Mail that she did not believe it was just an ordinary fire.

With Mujuru reportedly locked in a succession duel with Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, the party has been enveloped by nasty quarrels between the protagonists aiming to succeed Mugabe.

As it is, the Zibagwe-Chirumanzu legislator's own and recent mishap in Harare had spawned various theories.