Zimbabwe's 2018 poll rumble

With President Robert Mugabe's warring Zanu-PF having officially split into two bitterly opposed formations, it is becoming more and more likely that former VP Joice Mujuru will be among the stellar cast candidates who will take the nonagenarian head on in the eagerly anticipated 2018 election.

Analysts and insiders said yesterday the recent splitting of Zanu-PF into Zanu-PF Mugabe and the "original" Zanu-PF led by Mujuru amid much acrimony and bloodletting, meant that the prospects of reconciling the two factions any time soon were "slim to non-existent".

This, they said, meant that Mugabe was in all likelihood set to face Mujuru and indefatigable opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the crunch 2018 poll if the nonagenarian sought re-election then as the country's leader.

Analysts believe Mujuru has a significant following after being in government since 1980 and has a fair chance that she is a front runner in an open democratic process.