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VP Mnangagwa finally succeeds Robert Mugabe - Report

by Itai Mushekwe
01 Jan 2015 at 06:03hrs | Views
COLOGNE - Newly promoted first vice president, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, has now quietly succeeded President Robert Mugabe, as Zimbabwe's next leader taking office possibly during 2015, according to a secret gentlemen's agreement between the two hardline Zanu PF politicians, The Telescope News reported Thursday.

Although an offended splinter group from within Zanu PF called the "Gang of Four" or G4 said to be comprising of ministers Oppah Muchinguri, Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Mugabe's nephew Patrick Zhuwao, is reportedly burning the midnight oil to decampaign and stop Mnangagwa from taking over, their political assault has come late, as the vice president has garnered not only the closet support of Mugabe himself, but one of the country's most powerful man, Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, General Constantine Chiwenga, who is operating from behind the scenes in this big power equation.

The "Gang of Four" is a term that was recently coined by expelled former Zanu PF spokesman, Rugare Gumbo, who told a private daily in Harare in November 2014, that the G4 are "mafikezolos" (freshman party members with no orientation or experience) bent on destroying the ruling party from within.

The Telescope News claims that it has been told that the G4 has no political base or muscle in the bigger scheme of things in Zimbabwe's murky political waters, apart from suspicion that they are allegedly close to first lady Grace Mugabe, who again just happens to be Mugabe's wife, but lacks a critical mass electoral constituency to takeover from her husband Zanu PF insiders contend.

This reporter first brought to light disclosures of Mugabe and Mnangagwa's tight lipped secret gentlemen's agreement in 2012, after it emerged that the latter had played a critical role in saving Mugabe and Zanu PF from losing power in 2008 and 2013.

Mnangagwa has doubled as Mugabe's election campaign manager and strategist since 2008, and there are accusations that he might have sought the aid of a leading foreign intelligence agency, to gerrymander political votes in Mugabe's favour.

The intelligence outfit, reputed as one of the best in the world, allegedly still maintains a strong presence in the country, courtesy of not so clear security agreements between government and the agency, our sources said this week.

"People might ignore the truth, but it will never change. Zanu PF was defeated by the MDC in 2008, and it took the cunning Mnangagwa to evoke a legal provision he had engineered and smuggled into the old amended constitution, that a political party needed to win over 50 percent of the vote to attain power, failure which would result in a run-off election. We all know what happened, the rest is history," said a serving cabinet minister from their holiday resort inside Zimbabwe.

"Those who have good enough proximity to the presidency in government, can tell you that Mnangagwa deserves the high position. Former vice president Joice Mujuru, almost cost the party both in the 2008 and 2013 polls, as she was reportedly working with opposition forces, supported by the West to effect regime change in our land. Mnangagwa had his hands on the ball, and alerted Mugabe to this treachery. Zimbabweans don't even realise that Zanu PF was forced into a coalition government with Tsvangirai due to disloyalty on the part of high ranking cadres whom I shall not name today, but perhaps later if you do a follow-up on the issue."

Investigations by this publication further reveal that Mugabe has been communicating with Mnangagwa almost on a daily basis from his Singapore holiday resort, thus explaining why additional ministers have been fired from government, while Mugabe himself is away.

We have also been informed that Mugabe is aware of the machinasations of the G4, and that they allegedly hope to use his wife as their lucky charm to ursurp power when Mugabe steps down.

It is for this reason that Mugabe decided to isolate the G4 confederacy on the eleventh hour when he made key party appointments last year, even at ministerial level as he is said to be irate with the group.

Intelligence sources say the so called G4 had hoped for a big bonanza, insofar as cabinet and party promotion was concerned.

"Oppah Muchinguri is the one who must feel robbed. Some say they had also made a lady's agreement with Grace Mugabe, that she was going to be elevated to the position of second VP representing the women quota, but that did not happen. Zhuwao anticipated a return to cabinet, which did not materialise. Kasukuwere was bargaining to become the new intelligence minister, by replacing VaMutasa but that did not work. On the other hand Jonathan Moyo, thought he was going to become the new Zanu PF spokesman."

The Telescope News claims that it has been digging deep on the Mnangagwa story, and has been briefed by senior Zanu PF figures, that Mugabe is likely to call it a day this year, due to mounting health woes and old age. Mugabe's preferred departure date is still a mystery, but many believe that the nonagenarian will give a clue of the whole puzzle, during his live televised annual birthday message and interview to the nation in February on state television.