News / National
Mujuru, Tsvangirai in 2018 ploy to topple Mugabe
23 Mar 2016 at 05:34hrs | Views
Revelations that Zimbabwe People First's leader Dr Joice Mujuru will seek a coalition with MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai for the upcoming 2018 elections confirm how she has been working against President Mugabe since her time as Vice President, analysts have said.
Over the weekend, a senior member of Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First party told the media that despite public denials, Dr Mujuru was poised for a power sharing deal with Mr Tsvangirai, culminating in a ploy that has been in the works since 2007 and which was initiated by Dr Mujuru's late husband, Retired General Solomon Mujuru.
Rtd Gen Mujuru had already begun working with Mr Tsvangirai ahead of the March 2008 general elections.
According to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, Gen Mujuru believed that President Mugabe would lose the elections and he had pledged to support Mr Tsvangirai.
In the same cable, Mr Tsvangirai told then US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr James McGee that he had spoken to Gen Mujuru who had since realised that support for Simba Makoni, who had - at the instigation of the Mujurus - launched his Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party, was thin and it was better to support him (Tsvangirai) as an alternative to President Mugabe.
The Mujuru cabal then went around Zimbabwe telling Zanu-PF supporters to vote for a Zanu-PF councillor, National Assembly member and Senator, and then Tsvangirai for president culminating in the split of the Zanu-PF vote in favour of Tsvangirai who led President Mugabe in the first round of the presidential contest before losing the run-off.
In an interesting development yesterday, former United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray - who succeeded McGee - told an online news site that Dr Mujuru "…is pragmatic enough to work with the MDC and has the intelligence and ability to find ways to work effectively with the international community".
Mr Ray tipped Dr Mujuru for leadership saying he did "believe she sincerely had the best interests of the country at heart", leading observers to conclude that the US was the power behind PF.
Analysts queried why the Americans were keen to commend Dr Mujuru to the Zimbabwean voter, saying Mr Ray's utterances proved that Dr Mujuru had all along been a Western Trojan horse.
Dr Mujuru, just like several characters causing a ruckus in Zanu-PF today, was exposed by WikiLeaks after nocturnal meetings with the American envoy while President Mugabe was out of the country where she sought the backing of the US government.
Dr Mujuru met Mr Charles Ray secretly at one of her properties on December 16, 2009 in a meeting that was arranged by Mr David Butau.
In the meeting, whose cables were released by WikiLeaks, Dr Mujuru told the US ambassador that the "Zanu-PF old guard" was giving way to young blood that included her.
Dr Mujuru, according to the cable said: "Let's work together."
Political analyst and Midlands State University lecturer Dr Nhamo Mhiripiri yesterday said Dr Mujuru's alliance with Mr Tsvangirai confirmed how she had long drifted from the liberation ideology of Zanu-PF towards "liberal" or "moderate" politics which put the country's interests at stake.
He noted that Dr Mujuru's politics was informed by expediency and desire for short-term gains.
"We expect Zimbabwean politicians to understand what is at stake. If you are liberal for the sake of some benefits, are those benefits substantive? If they are not, people will reject and opt for such radical positions as indigenisation," he said.
He noted that Dr Mujuru's predication of her fortunes on wooing the MDC-T and the West would expose Zimbabwe to the whims of the Western nations who would exploit the country.
"It is not just about donor funds, as the country would lose at the end," he said.
Political analyst Mr Elton Ziki said that Joice Mujuru was true to her treacherous streak which gave birth to the Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn project and the "Bhora Musango" stratagem which sought to see President Mugabe losing presidential polls in 2008.
He also noted that the People First project had the fingerprints of the US.
"If we look at how long it took from the time Joice Mujuru was removed from Zanu-PF to the time she formed People First you can see that she could not have done this without the backing of the Americans.
"We already know from the WikiLeaks that Joice Mujuru was making tea for Charles Ray and this shows us that the Americans took time to talk to her and assure her that they would be able to fund her which is why she came out with so much confidence.
"In return Joice Mujuru is being used as an agent to push the interests of the USA and ensure the return of their influence in our economy if she is elected," he said
But Mr Alexander Rusero, another political analyst, felt that Dr Mujuru's proposed coalition with Mr Tsvangirai would not bear any fruits considering the latter had also been rejected by the Zimbabwean electorate.
"I think there's too much unnecessary anxiety in Zanu-PF and in the media concerning Joice Mujuru. She can meet anyone, (including) Morgan Tsvangirai, but that does not mean their coalition will win the day," he said.
He added that the US had identified a niche in Dr Mujuru and sought to abuse her liberation struggle credentials.
Over the weekend, a senior member of Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First party told the media that despite public denials, Dr Mujuru was poised for a power sharing deal with Mr Tsvangirai, culminating in a ploy that has been in the works since 2007 and which was initiated by Dr Mujuru's late husband, Retired General Solomon Mujuru.
Rtd Gen Mujuru had already begun working with Mr Tsvangirai ahead of the March 2008 general elections.
According to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, Gen Mujuru believed that President Mugabe would lose the elections and he had pledged to support Mr Tsvangirai.
In the same cable, Mr Tsvangirai told then US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr James McGee that he had spoken to Gen Mujuru who had since realised that support for Simba Makoni, who had - at the instigation of the Mujurus - launched his Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party, was thin and it was better to support him (Tsvangirai) as an alternative to President Mugabe.
The Mujuru cabal then went around Zimbabwe telling Zanu-PF supporters to vote for a Zanu-PF councillor, National Assembly member and Senator, and then Tsvangirai for president culminating in the split of the Zanu-PF vote in favour of Tsvangirai who led President Mugabe in the first round of the presidential contest before losing the run-off.
In an interesting development yesterday, former United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray - who succeeded McGee - told an online news site that Dr Mujuru "…is pragmatic enough to work with the MDC and has the intelligence and ability to find ways to work effectively with the international community".
Mr Ray tipped Dr Mujuru for leadership saying he did "believe she sincerely had the best interests of the country at heart", leading observers to conclude that the US was the power behind PF.
Analysts queried why the Americans were keen to commend Dr Mujuru to the Zimbabwean voter, saying Mr Ray's utterances proved that Dr Mujuru had all along been a Western Trojan horse.
Dr Mujuru, just like several characters causing a ruckus in Zanu-PF today, was exposed by WikiLeaks after nocturnal meetings with the American envoy while President Mugabe was out of the country where she sought the backing of the US government.
Dr Mujuru met Mr Charles Ray secretly at one of her properties on December 16, 2009 in a meeting that was arranged by Mr David Butau.
In the meeting, whose cables were released by WikiLeaks, Dr Mujuru told the US ambassador that the "Zanu-PF old guard" was giving way to young blood that included her.
Dr Mujuru, according to the cable said: "Let's work together."
He noted that Dr Mujuru's politics was informed by expediency and desire for short-term gains.
"We expect Zimbabwean politicians to understand what is at stake. If you are liberal for the sake of some benefits, are those benefits substantive? If they are not, people will reject and opt for such radical positions as indigenisation," he said.
He noted that Dr Mujuru's predication of her fortunes on wooing the MDC-T and the West would expose Zimbabwe to the whims of the Western nations who would exploit the country.
"It is not just about donor funds, as the country would lose at the end," he said.
Political analyst Mr Elton Ziki said that Joice Mujuru was true to her treacherous streak which gave birth to the Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn project and the "Bhora Musango" stratagem which sought to see President Mugabe losing presidential polls in 2008.
He also noted that the People First project had the fingerprints of the US.
"If we look at how long it took from the time Joice Mujuru was removed from Zanu-PF to the time she formed People First you can see that she could not have done this without the backing of the Americans.
"We already know from the WikiLeaks that Joice Mujuru was making tea for Charles Ray and this shows us that the Americans took time to talk to her and assure her that they would be able to fund her which is why she came out with so much confidence.
"In return Joice Mujuru is being used as an agent to push the interests of the USA and ensure the return of their influence in our economy if she is elected," he said
But Mr Alexander Rusero, another political analyst, felt that Dr Mujuru's proposed coalition with Mr Tsvangirai would not bear any fruits considering the latter had also been rejected by the Zimbabwean electorate.
"I think there's too much unnecessary anxiety in Zanu-PF and in the media concerning Joice Mujuru. She can meet anyone, (including) Morgan Tsvangirai, but that does not mean their coalition will win the day," he said.
He added that the US had identified a niche in Dr Mujuru and sought to abuse her liberation struggle credentials.
Source - the herald
