Mujuru out of touch with reality

ASSERTIONS by disgraced former Vice President Joice Mujuru that she cannot be expelled from Zanu-PF is a sign of someone still in shock and failing to come to terms with reality, analysts said yesterday.

They said Mujuru was the least qualified person to criticise the prevailing economic challenges as she presided over key economic ministries in which corruption thrived in the past 10 years.

The Daily News, which has now become the Mujuru cabal's mouth piece, quoted her as saying she could not be expelled from the revolutionary party.

She said: "Given the prevailing economic hardships, looming food crisis and the declining inflows to the fiscus, the Politburo's silence on these matters is deafening. Ini handidzingike muoriginal and genuine Zanu-PF. (I can't be fired from the original Zanu-PF)."

This was after the Zanu-PF Politburo expelled Mujuru last Thursday over a slew of allegations chief among them plotting to assassinate President Mugabe, corruption and abuse of office.

Political analyst Alexander Rusero said it was clear that Mujuru, who has been in the "comfort zone" since independence, was finding it difficult to concede that Zanu-PF was progressing without her.

"These statements are an indicator of a person in great shock," he said.

"She's trying to attract sympathy from a nation which should be seized with fundamental issues. It's good for her to let it go and accept that politics is a game of outwitting each other."

He added: "She should take a cue from (Tendai) Biti who after realising the end of his political career, sought a job in the United States. She has been dumped and should now be working on bringing food to her table."

Biti, who leads the MDC Renewal team joined a US think tank, Centre for Global Development after being recalled from Parliament by his former party, MDC-T recently.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association leader Christopher Mutsvangwa said Mujuru was suffering from "delusional disorder". In any case, he said, Zanu-PF was not a private property, but belonged to patriotic party members.

"She can't tell what's real from what's imagined," he said.

"Many years of ungrateful patronage from President Mugabe fooled her into false belief that she was a cadre larger than the party.

"She shunted aside humility associated with revolutionary cadreship and donned regal arrogance."

Mutsvangwa said Mujuru would never be accepted again in Zanu-PF as she abused her proximity to President Mugabe, turning it into treachery.

"How can she talk about the economy when she's the one who superintended over the key ministries where corruption flourished while she abused her office together with her putschist cabal?" he said.

Another political analyst Goodwine Mureriwa said even those who founded the party would be expelled if they went astray.

"She's dreaming because she's already out of Zanu-PF," he said.

"She should realise that she was in her position because of President Mugabe's benevolence when he went for the gender clause perhaps against the interest of the people.

These are the kicks of a dying horse and she's out for good and the moment she realises that she isn't indispensable, the better."