News / National
Gideon Gono missed Vice Presidency in 2014
14 Jul 2016 at 05:31hrs | Views
COLOGNE - Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor, Gideon Gono, missed the golden opportunity to become Vice President of the country in 2014, following the dismissal of Zimbabwe People First (Zim PF) leader, Joice Mujuru, from the Zanu PF post, owing to last minute sabotage allegedly orchestrated by a Zanu PF faction opposed to his rise at the time, Spotlight Zimbabwe reported.
According to a ruling party politburo member, with knowledge of the politics involved, had Gono been appointed, he could have been now a heart-beat away from succeeding President Robert Mugabe, as he was likely to be nominated as the party's 2018 Presidential candidate ahead of current VP Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mujuru was fired from Zanu PF and government in December 2014, just before the ruling party's controversial Congress to elect new politburo members and the country's two vice presidents, who had hitherto not taken up office.
Mujuru was shown the door for an array of allegations, including witchcraft, graft and an assassination charge on Mugabe, all of which she has vehemently denied. The former VP, was also booted out together with eight former cabinet ministers, considered her inner circle, who had reportedly conspired to topple Mugabe in secret. These included: Didymus Mutasa (Presidential Affairs), Webster Shamu (Information Communication Technologies, Postal and Courier Services), Francis Nhema (Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment), Olivia Muchena (Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development), Dzikamai Mavhaire (Energy and Power Development), Nicholas Goche (Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare), Simbaneuta Mudarikwa (Minister of State for Mashonaland East Province) and Munacho Mutezo (Deputy Minister Energy and Power Development).
It has also come to light that First Lady, Grace Mugabe's "Meet The People" countrywide rallies launched in August 2014, to de-campaign and cause Mujuru's ouster from the presidium, were designed to create a vacancy for Gono, who the first family was favouring to take over power ahead of Mnangagwa.
"The media failed to join the dots together," said the politburo member. "The plan was to have Mujuru out of the way, and then pave a path for Gono's ascendancy, which was meant to neutralise the current VP. However the VP's supporters read into it early enough, and made sure that Gono was not appointed into cabinet during a reshuffle, by blocking his bid to become Senator for Manicaland."
It would now appear, Mugabe had wanted to solve his succession gridlock by bringing Gono into the political equation two years ago, and making him one of his deputies, thus making it easier for him to possibly take power in 2018 and solve Zanu PF's presidium nightmares.
Gono had initially been linked to the finance ministry portfolio that year, and grapevine was tipping Grace to become defence minister.
Other ruling party insiders said Mugabe has always wanted Gono to succeed him, and attempts of smuggling him into power had been quashed by Mnangagwa's operatives in Zanu PF.
The Zanu PF Politburo had approved recommendations by the party's Manicaland provincial executive to have Gono replace the late national hero Kumbirai Kangai, who died in August 2013 as Senator.
However by October 2014, Gono's spirited bid to land the vacant senatorial seat in Manicaland had come to a shut-down, after the ruling party Politburo upheld the position of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that legally the aspiring senator was not qualified for the post because he was not a registered voter in the province.
Zanu PF maintained that the law could not be tailored to suit the circumstances of an individual.
Mnangagwa who was Legal Affairs secretary at the time said the Politburo agreed that ZEC's decision was final. "There is no issue. ZEC has made its decision and we as the party are not contesting that decision," Mnangagwa told the State media.
Gono is however still not out of the race of running for top office, as first reported by Spotlight Zimbabwe on 4 July 2016, that the country's secret service, is allegedly preparing him to topple Mujuru and MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai from power, should the duo win the 2018 presidential ballot, as is now widely expected.
Establishment insiders in Mugabe's administration, said Gono is expected to introduce even more radical and feverish land reform and indigenisation policies, which will all but reverse Tsvangirai and Mujuru's mooted policies of revising the controversial black empowerment law and emotive land issue.
Gono has been Mugabe's secret understudy for over two decades, and has received an array of political instructions and blueprint to fulfil for Zimbabwe, from Mugabe himself, as one of his most trusted inner circle lieutenants.
According to a ruling party politburo member, with knowledge of the politics involved, had Gono been appointed, he could have been now a heart-beat away from succeeding President Robert Mugabe, as he was likely to be nominated as the party's 2018 Presidential candidate ahead of current VP Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mujuru was fired from Zanu PF and government in December 2014, just before the ruling party's controversial Congress to elect new politburo members and the country's two vice presidents, who had hitherto not taken up office.
Mujuru was shown the door for an array of allegations, including witchcraft, graft and an assassination charge on Mugabe, all of which she has vehemently denied. The former VP, was also booted out together with eight former cabinet ministers, considered her inner circle, who had reportedly conspired to topple Mugabe in secret. These included: Didymus Mutasa (Presidential Affairs), Webster Shamu (Information Communication Technologies, Postal and Courier Services), Francis Nhema (Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment), Olivia Muchena (Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development), Dzikamai Mavhaire (Energy and Power Development), Nicholas Goche (Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare), Simbaneuta Mudarikwa (Minister of State for Mashonaland East Province) and Munacho Mutezo (Deputy Minister Energy and Power Development).
It has also come to light that First Lady, Grace Mugabe's "Meet The People" countrywide rallies launched in August 2014, to de-campaign and cause Mujuru's ouster from the presidium, were designed to create a vacancy for Gono, who the first family was favouring to take over power ahead of Mnangagwa.
"The media failed to join the dots together," said the politburo member. "The plan was to have Mujuru out of the way, and then pave a path for Gono's ascendancy, which was meant to neutralise the current VP. However the VP's supporters read into it early enough, and made sure that Gono was not appointed into cabinet during a reshuffle, by blocking his bid to become Senator for Manicaland."
It would now appear, Mugabe had wanted to solve his succession gridlock by bringing Gono into the political equation two years ago, and making him one of his deputies, thus making it easier for him to possibly take power in 2018 and solve Zanu PF's presidium nightmares.
Gono had initially been linked to the finance ministry portfolio that year, and grapevine was tipping Grace to become defence minister.
Other ruling party insiders said Mugabe has always wanted Gono to succeed him, and attempts of smuggling him into power had been quashed by Mnangagwa's operatives in Zanu PF.
However by October 2014, Gono's spirited bid to land the vacant senatorial seat in Manicaland had come to a shut-down, after the ruling party Politburo upheld the position of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that legally the aspiring senator was not qualified for the post because he was not a registered voter in the province.
Zanu PF maintained that the law could not be tailored to suit the circumstances of an individual.
Mnangagwa who was Legal Affairs secretary at the time said the Politburo agreed that ZEC's decision was final. "There is no issue. ZEC has made its decision and we as the party are not contesting that decision," Mnangagwa told the State media.
Gono is however still not out of the race of running for top office, as first reported by Spotlight Zimbabwe on 4 July 2016, that the country's secret service, is allegedly preparing him to topple Mujuru and MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai from power, should the duo win the 2018 presidential ballot, as is now widely expected.
Establishment insiders in Mugabe's administration, said Gono is expected to introduce even more radical and feverish land reform and indigenisation policies, which will all but reverse Tsvangirai and Mujuru's mooted policies of revising the controversial black empowerment law and emotive land issue.
Gono has been Mugabe's secret understudy for over two decades, and has received an array of political instructions and blueprint to fulfil for Zimbabwe, from Mugabe himself, as one of his most trusted inner circle lieutenants.
Source - Itai Mushekwe
