Grace Mugabe's support will fluctuate rapidly Energy Mutodi

President Robert Mugabe's loyalist Energy Mutodi has claimed that the first lady Grace Mugabe's popularity and public support is expected to rise after a period of decline caused by her association with a G40 faction.

"Recently, the First Lady refuted claims that she was aiming to take the Vice President post at the ZANU PF December conference to be held in Victoria Falls, a development that would guarantee the party's implosion and disintegration on tribal and regional lines," Mutodi posted on Facebook.

The remarjks comes after Grace addressed scores of party supporters in Mbare, Mberengwa and Murehwa last week, where she said she was content with her position as Women's League boss and was addressing the party rallies as such as well as the President's wife.

She effectively dissociated herself from an ambitious G40 faction that has for long been believed to be scheming and campaigning for her to be the next President.

In order to clear the air on such speculation, the First Lady said she did not harbour presidential ambitions and does not see herself as a possible successor to her own husband.

"The G40 faction believed to be fronted by national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere and Higher Education Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo is reportedly angling to succeed the President by first of all isolating him from his confidantes before pressing him to surrender power to anyone of them," wrote Mutodi.

"The faction has led a gruesome campaign in the provinces, passing votes of no confidence to their opponents and blocking perceived supporters of Vice President Mnangagwa from taking up their elected party posts at provincial levels.

They have left no stone unturned in decapitating anyone opposed to them and have even went to the extent of insulting war veterans whom they have described as drunkards and taxi drivers."

Mutodi said unfortunately the war veterans are an omnipresent feature in the party's structures and are found all over the country as well as in the civil service.

He said they constitute the majority of farmers and link closely with student organizations as they are the mothers and fathers for most students.
"By so doing the G40 has weakened the party's grassroots support and the party is only surviving because Gushungo, (president Mugabe's clan name) continues to be the glue that holds the party together," he said.

"Grace is seen as a hero among many poor Zimbabweans after she bravely campaigned against politically driven corruption in the year 2014, culminating in the dismissal from office of her husband's second in command, former Vice President Joice Mujuru."

Mutodi said Mujuru was accused of milking parastatal funds and state-linked firms such as the Premier Service Medical Aid Society apart from demanding 10% shares from firms to fund her faction that was angling to succeed President Mugabe at all cost.

"The Oceanic Omnipresence Organization put the First Lady's popularity ranking and public approval at 98% after the December 2014 Congress and this has been plummeting after she began to be associated with the G40 faction," wrote Mutodi.

Energy Mutodi completed his Masters degree in Business Administration at the University of Zimbabwe in the year 2014 and a Bachelor of Arts in War Studies and Geography in 2001. He is currently enrolled for a Bachelor Laws degree at the same university and a PhD in Management at Walden University.