Zimbabwe 'terrorists' turned VPs

President Robert Mugabe on Friday swore in his two deputies without a hitch despite a  desperate Constitutional Court challenge from opposition leader Lovemore Madhuku to stop the proceedings.

Vice-Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko took their oaths of office before President Mugabe, pledging loyalty to Zimbabwe at a seamless function that also saw new eight ministers being sworn -in.

Mnangagwa told journalists afterwards that he was accepting his new role with humility, describing himself as a "terrorist turned deputy president".

"It is with humility that I have been elevated to the position of vice-president of Zimbabwe, it means I am a bigger servant to the people than I was before," said Mnangagwa.

The veteran nationalist, who is also serving as the country's Justice minister, was jailed by the Ian Smith regime at the height of the liberation struggle and was only saved from the gallows because he was underage. His family was elated at the appointment.

"From a condemned prisoner to a vice-president and from a terrorist to a vice-president of the republic, even my family is very happy, they are all here," Mnangagwa gushed.

Madhuku, the opposition political outfit NCA leader, approached the Constitutional Court seeking an interdict to stop the appointment of Mnangagwa and Mphoko, arguing President Mugabe would be in violation of the constitution.

The former University of Zimbabwe law lecturer averred in his application that President Mugabe had indicated at the conclusion of the 2013 polls that he wanted one deputy and could not change mid-term.

However, nobody took notice and the process went on without a hitch.

The relatively unknown Mphoko, a former Zapu High Command member and Zipra commander, who seems to be a man of very few words, paid tribute to President Mugabe.

Asked how he thinks he got the nod ahead of a group of former guerrilla movement and other Zapu leaders who were eyeing the same position, Mphoko, whose wartime name was Report, said he had been appointed on merit.

"The president is a very wise man and he knows what he wants, he reads from the face and from what you say before making a decision. I always say he is dura rewisdom, so that is why he made that decision," said Mphoko.

Mnangagwa took over from the deposed Joice Mujuru.

Meanwhile, former Zanu-PF Women's League boss Oppah Muchinguri, who was at the centre of the grand plan to expose Mujuru's alleged ill-dealings that included corruption, extortion and outright treason, yesterday said the former vice-president did little to advance the cause of women.

Muchinguri, who is now minister of Higher Education, said: "In the 10 years she was vice-president, she did not help even one woman. Even me, she instead fought against every programme I tried to introduce that would have assisted women. She planted her people in my former ministry (Women's Affairs) to frustrate me."

She revealed that Zanu-PF has since amended its constitution to remove the clause that made it mandatory for one of the party's second secretaries and vice-president to be a woman.

"Yes, that was removed because to us it did not make any sense. Now we actually have affirmative action because it is 50/50 at all levels. It does not need to be in the presidium only because it will not make any difference to have a figurehead who will not deliver like we had with Mujuru," Muchinguri said.

She said Mujuru had, instead, embarrassed women's groups and in particular the Zanu-PF women's league by "shamelessly" supporting parastatal executives fingered in the salary-gate scandal.

Mujuru early this year drew the ire of a cross-section of Zimbabweans after apparently ordering the media off the pay-scam that exploded early this year in which top parastatals and local authorities bosses were fingered in obscene salary.

"It was disheartening to see someone defend such things like the parastatal executives who were earning more than $600 000 a month. It showed we had lost touch with people, lost our human face and humanity," she said.

Former Premier Service Medical Aid Society chief executive officer Cuthbert Dube allegedly creamed the government health insurer by taking home $535 000 a month, the major chunk of which was non-taxable benefits.

President Mugabe also swore in ministers Christopher Mutsvangwa (War Veterans), Supa Mandiwanzira (Information Technology), Christopher Mushowe (Youth and Indigenisation), Samuel Undenge (Energy) his deputy Tsitsi Muzenda, Priscilla Mupfumira (Labour), Mandi Chimene (Manicaland Provincial Affairs) and Biggie Matiza (Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs).