Dethroned Mujuru is to blame for her political downfall

Reading articles from various media houses citing former Vice President, Dr Joyce Mujuru as claiming that she was used and dumped by President Robert Mugabe when she was the first to go to the armed struggle before the President, makes one to wonder whether her claims are genuine or are coming from someone who lost her plot when it mattered most. Former VP Mujuru should blame herself for her position against the very person who raised her from the dust to where she was.

While the former Vice President`s revolutionary credentials are not questionable but her over ambitious aspirations are to blame. Mujuru failed to be patient when she was given that opportunity to do so. As someone who was so close to the President by being the Vice President, she should have waited patiently for her time to come for her to be elevated by the Zimbabwean people to the highest position in the country. Instead she thought that time for here to be elevated to the highest post on the land was moving at a slow pace hence she thought of turning against the hand that was feeding her in the hope that she would attain that position quickly, resulting in her political demise.

Cde Mujuru could have realized that patience pays more than rushing into unknown territories. Her claims that she and her husband, the late retired army commander General Solomon Mujuru backed President Mugabe and other senior party members who arrived in Mozambique from 1975 onwards, from prison to intensify the liberation war against Ian Smith's Rhodesian regime cannot be disputed but that should not be used as an excuse to sell out the armed struggle`s principles.

It was a good job she did for making sure that the senior members of the party were looked after for the continued success of the armed struggle cannot be executed effectively if senior members of the party are sidelined.

However, Cde Mujuru failed to make sure that the same senior members of the party whom she claims to have backed during the armed struggle needed continued support for the development of our nation. She failed to back off from those who used her name to create factional wars in the ruling party which nearly destroyed this revolutionary party. Cde Mujuru could have realized that being the VP of Zimbabwe, she should not be part and parcel of the factional wars that were destroying the party.

In actual fact, Cde Mujuru owed all she has now to President Mugabe. President Mugabe made sure that in 1980 she became one of the youngest cabinet ministers thereby making her one of the respected individuals in the country. Her elevation to that post in 1980 ahead of other potential candidates, who were more learned than her, was a blessing from President Mugabe. That alone should make Cde Mujuru realize that President Mugabe did not use her but she was the one who failed to appreciate the good work done to her by President Mugabe and chose to work against him when it was not necessary to do so.
Cde Mujuru should also thank President Mugabe for appointing her to the post of the Vice President when among the ruling party there were quite a number of some senior women who were also good enough to be appointed to that post. Zimbabweans still recall that her appointment to the VP position in 2004 was lobbied by the First Family. Had it not been for the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe who spearheaded the appointment of a female candidate to fill the vacancy created by the death of VP, Dr Simon Muzenda in 2003, and her elevation could have fallen by the wayside.

In actual fact in 2004, the people`s favourite candidate, Cde Emerson Mnangagwa was made to step down from the race for the VP`s post so that Cde Mujuru could obtain that post. So it is surprising that now Cde Mujuru is claiming that President Mugabe used and then dumped her when she was the first person who failed to acknowledge the good gesture which she was given by the First Family. Cde Mujuru failed to realize that there is no short cut to success.

Now that she is no longer in government, Cde Mujuru is trying to hunt for sympathizers through malicious statements. She should realize that when she was appointed VP in 2004, she was not appointed just because she was senior but she was chosen by President Mugabe because he had trust in her. President Mugabe was quite sure that in her was a potential candidate who could steer the country to greater heights. Unfortunately what the President thought about her turned to be different as the former VP began to work for the downfall of the very person who worked tirelessly for her elevation.

Former VP Mujuru should realize that until she created factional divisions in the hope that she would take over from President Mugabe, her chances were bright. Her moves that culminated into plans and decisions to assassinate the Head of State and Government as a way for her to take over the reign were enough reason that destroyed her chances of leading this country.

Instead of blaming President Mugabe as the one who used and dumped her, she should blame herself for allowing people to use hers for the creation of factional divisions within the party. Mujuru should not blame President Mugabe for her political downfall but she should thank him for choosing her to that powerful post when she was junior to other notable armed struggle female members like Cde Victoria Chitepo, Ruth Chinamano, Thenjiwe Lesabe and others.

As such, Mujuru should stop crying foul to dire consequences of her own making.