War vets batter, humiliate Mugabe

War veterans yesterday brought President Robert Mugabe down to earth, reminding him that they were not a mere affiliate, but the foundation upon which Zanu-PF was built 53 years ago.

With the governing party almost at breaking point due to bitter factional fights over succession, Mugabe came face-to-face with angry war veterans who described themselves as "the solution to Zanu-PF's problems".

Two factions are locked in an internal fight for control one reportedly controlled by First Lady Grace Mugabe, known as Generation 40 (G40), and another allegedly sympathetic to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, which calls itself Team Lacoste. Kasukuwere, although not mentioned by name, seemed to have been the subject of the vicious attack.