Mujuru's leadership capacity questioned

FORMER Vice-President Joice Mujuru's continued dithering on whether to come out of her cocoon and take on the might of President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party has left her followers in the People First faction in limbo.

Mujuru was literally a foot away from taking over as the country's number one but she had the carpet swept from under her feet in the run-up to the ruling party's congress last year by Mugabe's wife Grace and a coterie of leaders, including her successor Emmerson Mnangagwa.

To add insult to injury, Mujuru's erstwhile colleague Temba Mliswa last week turned the dagger against her, accusing the former VP of being a weakling.

"I have sat down with my uncle Didymus Mutasa and asked him what as leaders they said in the politburo meetings that resolved to expel us. I asked what then Vice-President [Joice] Mujuru said and the answer he gave me is that they said nothing.

Everybody kept quiet while their supporters were expelled and abused without having done anything wrong," said Mliswa.

"Now I am supposed to wake up and repose my trust in such leaders. I believe in leaders who stand up for the people rather than say let us wait and see what happens next. This is what Mujuru and others did while their supporters were being abused and axed from the party. In the end Mutasa, Mujuru and Rugare Gumbo were expelled. So now we are all out."

However, political analyst Eldred Masunungure begged to differ with Mliswa whom he sees as lacking crucial political strategy. He argues Mujuru is assessing the situation before taking the plunge.

"The problem as I see it for Mujuru is that she is aware of how Zanu-PF deals with renegades. She has been part of the system of the Zanu-PF machinery for the better part of her adult life. Mujuru was Vice-President of the party and so obviously she understands the repercussions of her coming out in the open and taking on the ruling party.

"However, her supporters might think she is acting in a cowardly manner, which is understandable. But I think her silence could be strategic, waiting for the right moment, while assessing the situation without exposing herself to the crude tactics that are legendary in the ruling party," said Masunungure.

Former Zanu-PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, who has emerged as the defacto spokesperson of the People First faction that includes former presidential affairs minister Didymus Mutasa and others, seemed to confirm Masunungure's argument.

"We have said this before and will continue to say it. We will remain in Zanu-PF and nobody can take us out of the party. We will continue to use the party's structures that are known to all. As a party, we know what we want to achieve," said Gumbo.
Another political analyst Takura Zhangazha said Mujuru was playing a "safe game" which however could hurt her long-term political intentions.

"There is general uncertainty over the character of Zanu-PF and Mujuru, having been a longstanding member of the party, knows the kind of animal she is dealing with. However, whatever she has up her sleeve, the more time she spends observing from a distance, the more confusion among her supporters. There is also likely to be growing unease and loss of confidence in her leadership and capacity to roll up her sleeves and take on Zanu-PF," Zhangazha said.

Masunungure added; "Mujuru's actions or lack thereof are rational in my opinion. She cannot fail to appreciate the implications of whatever actions she might decide on."

A month or so ago, Mujuru said she would not be pushed into active politics. That was after Mliswa and others called on her to come out and declare her intentions.

The former Vice-President was expelled from the ruling party on allegations she was behind an elaborate plot to take over power from Mugabe through an assassination. She vehemently denied the allegations and wondered why Mugabe expended his energies on phoney assassination theories, instead of solving the country's problems.