News / National
'Worse to come for brawling Zanu-PF'
16 Nov 2014 at 13:55hrs | Views
Prominent academic and former adviser to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Alex Magaisa, says "The Night of the Long Knives" - which is how Zanu-PF's stormy politburo meeting in Harare last Thursday is now being referred to -was a harbinger of worse brutal infighting still to be witnessed in the divided party.
In an opinion piece, Magaisa, who is a law lecturer at Kent University in the UK, said the party's increasingly violent factional and succession wars were engineered to benefit President Robert Mugabe who feared that his close lieutenants wanted to get rid of him.
"After all he is nearly 91 and the country he leads is in dire straits. He has used divide and rule tactics over the years, letting the factions fight each other, hate each other and plot against each other - itself a good insurance policy for himself as his rivals focus on each other.
"But by far the biggest scalp is (former party spokesman) Rugare Gumbo and some might say ...(Thursday's politburo meeting) was the Night of Long Knives. We think, however, that this was merely a harbinger of worse that awaits. The real Night of the Long Knives is not yet come. But it will," he writes.
Magaisa detailed Gumbo's significant contribution to Zimbabwe's struggle for independence, noting that his latest suspension was not the first time that he had fallen foul of the party leadership. In 1978 Gumbo, along with some of his comrades, was incarcerated by Zanu-PF and spent the rest of the war days in dungeons after facing accusations of rebelling against Mugabe.
"This is the infamous incident that is known as the Vashandi Rebellion. Among his comrades who shared his fate were Dzinashe Machingura, Henry Hamadziripi, Happison Muchechetere, Augustine Chihuri, and Sobuza Gula-Ndebele.
"Nevertheless, it is plain that Gumbo is not the target (in the latest purge). The big target remains (Vice President) Joice Mujuru, the Vice President who aspired to be president and was almost within reach.
"The sacking of such a figure as Rugare Gumbo, said to be the last surviving member of Zanu's Dare reChimurenga (War Council), which drove the liberation war, is meant to be an indicator of where real power lies and that no figure apart from Mugabe himself is immune from the sack.
"But in the context of politics of succession, it is also part of the decimation of the political pillars for Mujuru. Gumbo has been one of her more prominent and vocal backers.
"He has defended her when she has been attacked by Grace Mugabe and others," Magaisa added.
He said last week's purges were "pre-emptive strikes by Mugabe designed to ensure that Mujuru is not a candidate come the December congress in less than three weeks' time".
In an opinion piece, Magaisa, who is a law lecturer at Kent University in the UK, said the party's increasingly violent factional and succession wars were engineered to benefit President Robert Mugabe who feared that his close lieutenants wanted to get rid of him.
"After all he is nearly 91 and the country he leads is in dire straits. He has used divide and rule tactics over the years, letting the factions fight each other, hate each other and plot against each other - itself a good insurance policy for himself as his rivals focus on each other.
"But by far the biggest scalp is (former party spokesman) Rugare Gumbo and some might say ...(Thursday's politburo meeting) was the Night of Long Knives. We think, however, that this was merely a harbinger of worse that awaits. The real Night of the Long Knives is not yet come. But it will," he writes.
Magaisa detailed Gumbo's significant contribution to Zimbabwe's struggle for independence, noting that his latest suspension was not the first time that he had fallen foul of the party leadership. In 1978 Gumbo, along with some of his comrades, was incarcerated by Zanu-PF and spent the rest of the war days in dungeons after facing accusations of rebelling against Mugabe.
"This is the infamous incident that is known as the Vashandi Rebellion. Among his comrades who shared his fate were Dzinashe Machingura, Henry Hamadziripi, Happison Muchechetere, Augustine Chihuri, and Sobuza Gula-Ndebele.
"Nevertheless, it is plain that Gumbo is not the target (in the latest purge). The big target remains (Vice President) Joice Mujuru, the Vice President who aspired to be president and was almost within reach.
"The sacking of such a figure as Rugare Gumbo, said to be the last surviving member of Zanu's Dare reChimurenga (War Council), which drove the liberation war, is meant to be an indicator of where real power lies and that no figure apart from Mugabe himself is immune from the sack.
"But in the context of politics of succession, it is also part of the decimation of the political pillars for Mujuru. Gumbo has been one of her more prominent and vocal backers.
"He has defended her when she has been attacked by Grace Mugabe and others," Magaisa added.
He said last week's purges were "pre-emptive strikes by Mugabe designed to ensure that Mujuru is not a candidate come the December congress in less than three weeks' time".
Source - dailynews
