Mnangagwa allies planning wave of rallies to drum up support for Mugabe

Although relative calm has returned to Zanu-PF, allies of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa are planning another wave of rallies to drum up support for President Robert Mugabe.

In the past few weeks, Mnangagwa has not only apologised to Mugabe but has also distanced himself from war veterans who have been pushing for his ascendency.

Zanu-PF central committee member Jimayi Muduvuri, who was one of the key conveners of the war veterans' controversial meetings around the country's 10 provinces, told the Daily News yesterday that he was going to embark on a "part two expedition to get rid of factional elements in our party."

"I have always said I belong to baba namai Mugabe and I will stand by that, I do not represent Lacoste or G40 and I know they are some people who think they have won and now want to bring back factionalism in the party," Muduvuri said.

Zanu-PF is divided along two factions, Team Lacoste that is associated with Mnangagwa and Generation 40 (G40) — which are both angling to succeed the 92-year- old Mugabe.

And apparently peeved by assertions by protagonists in the G40 faction that they won the factional battle, Muduvuri said they will soon find out that "…Mugabe is the only game in time and our candidate for the 2018 elections."

"I have no apologies for the tour that I did, and I am prepared to do that again. I hear some people in the G40 saying that I have apologised, apologise to who? I stand by those rallies I had with war veterans.

"Everything that I did, I did it for Zanu-PF and my goal has always been to see a united Zanu-PF and that is what I will do again," Muduvuri said.

He recently admitted that the ruling party is divided along factional lines; something he acknowledged was a threat to the party ahead of the crucial 2018 elections.

In the interview with the Daily News, Muduvuri, said only Mugabe can deal with the factionalism ailment that is now an albatross around Zanu-PF's neck.

A fawning Muduvuri, who refers himself as "mwana wababa namai Mugabe", told this paper that he was in the process of compiling a report that will be submitted to the Zanu-PF leader.