News / National
Mnangagwa faces renewed threats to succeed Mugabe
25 Oct 2015 at 07:40hrs | Views
After orchestrating Joice Mujuru's ouster from Zanu-PF last year and then turning out to be the biggest beneficiary by taking her position both in the party and government, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has faced renewed threats to his quest to succeed Mugabe.
The emergence of a new group of Young Turks known as Generation 40 (G40) has been flagged as one potential hurdle for Mnangagwa's ambitions to take over from the 91-year-old leader.
The group, reportedly comprising, among others, Moyo and Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere, as well as President Robert Mugabe's nephew Patrick Zhuwao, has roped in the support of the sharp-tongued first lady Grace Mugabe.
Grace has been making insinuations against Mnangagwa and attacking him through innuendos with support from the acerbic Moyo.
"The immediate post-Mugabe era could herald a Zanu-PF reunification and given Mnangagwa's precarious position at the moment, he would possibly take refuge in that," Mandaza said.
"But if Mugabe survives up to 2018, it would be prudent for Mujuru and her allies to form a party and take on whoever Zanu-PF will put forward as a candidate. Meanwhile, the infighting within Zanu-PF has become chronic".
University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure said Mujuru could be doing a delicate balancing act while she awaits the right time to return to Zanu-PF.
"Mujuru‘s silence may mean several things. It might be strategic because she might still think there is a possibility of a return to Zanu-PF," he said.
"She might still believe that the door has not been firmly shut in her face yet, hence the need to tread carefully and try not to irritate those within the party too much.
"Mujuru is Zanu-PF and [she] might have harboured thoughts of dying in that party until last year. I think she might be suffering from withdrawal symptoms, that she still cannot believe that she was kicked out.
"It is rational to speculate then that Mujuru might indeed have met with Mugabe with a view to return, because she has an umbilical cord both with the party and in particular with Mugabe.
"She has known no other political mentor and home," Masunungure said.
He said Mujuru still had support in Zanu-PF, which makes a return to the party in the post- Mugabe era a possibility.
"She might be banking on the internal support that I think is still very much alive and it is difficult for now to tell whether she has more support outside Zanu-PF than inside the party," Masunungure added.
"Mujuru could, therefore, be bidding her time and watching events before taking the plunge either way."
The emergence of a new group of Young Turks known as Generation 40 (G40) has been flagged as one potential hurdle for Mnangagwa's ambitions to take over from the 91-year-old leader.
The group, reportedly comprising, among others, Moyo and Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere, as well as President Robert Mugabe's nephew Patrick Zhuwao, has roped in the support of the sharp-tongued first lady Grace Mugabe.
Grace has been making insinuations against Mnangagwa and attacking him through innuendos with support from the acerbic Moyo.
"The immediate post-Mugabe era could herald a Zanu-PF reunification and given Mnangagwa's precarious position at the moment, he would possibly take refuge in that," Mandaza said.
"But if Mugabe survives up to 2018, it would be prudent for Mujuru and her allies to form a party and take on whoever Zanu-PF will put forward as a candidate. Meanwhile, the infighting within Zanu-PF has become chronic".
University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure said Mujuru could be doing a delicate balancing act while she awaits the right time to return to Zanu-PF.
"Mujuru‘s silence may mean several things. It might be strategic because she might still think there is a possibility of a return to Zanu-PF," he said.
"She might still believe that the door has not been firmly shut in her face yet, hence the need to tread carefully and try not to irritate those within the party too much.
"Mujuru is Zanu-PF and [she] might have harboured thoughts of dying in that party until last year. I think she might be suffering from withdrawal symptoms, that she still cannot believe that she was kicked out.
"It is rational to speculate then that Mujuru might indeed have met with Mugabe with a view to return, because she has an umbilical cord both with the party and in particular with Mugabe.
"She has known no other political mentor and home," Masunungure said.
He said Mujuru still had support in Zanu-PF, which makes a return to the party in the post- Mugabe era a possibility.
"She might be banking on the internal support that I think is still very much alive and it is difficult for now to tell whether she has more support outside Zanu-PF than inside the party," Masunungure added.
"Mujuru could, therefore, be bidding her time and watching events before taking the plunge either way."
Source - thestandard
