Mudenda tipped for Zanu-PF chairship

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda has emerged as a dark horse to land the post of Zanu-PF chairperson, while former ambassador to South Africa Phelekezela Mphoko is favourite to land the Vice-Presidency.

While it was increasingly clear that Vice-President Joice Mujuru was living on borrowed time, speculation is on who would replace her, with Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa expected to succeed her.

Sources revealed that Mphoko, who has been a Zanu-PF central committee member for Nkayi in Matabeleland North, moved to Bulawayo so that when President Robert Mugabe appoints the presidium, he would not pick two people from the same province.

Mudenda is considered a key Mnangagwa ally.

Following a purge of perceived Mujuru allies, Simon Khaya Moyo, the party's chairman, who was seen as a front runner, finds himself in an unenviable position, where some provinces are distancing themselves from the endorsement he received last year.

While the route has seemingly been cleared for Mnangagwa and his backers, it has also been established that Mudenda faces opposition from Matabeleland North, his home province.