Mnangagwa admits he is no nearer State House than one walking from China!

Last year, when VP Mnangagwa was sworn into as the first VP everyone thought that he was the crown-prince settling the Zanu PF succession question Mugabe has cleverly avoided for 35 years.

Within weeks of the appointment it was clear Mugabe had gone back on his word and the succession issue was far from being settled. Mnangagwa has not commented on this development until now.

"You see, you can be on the road between the State House and Zim House," he explained in an interview with New African Magazine, "the President's official residence across the road.

"You can throw a stone into the yard of the State House when you are on that road, but someone walking from here to China will arrive first before you arrive in State House if you are on that road. So that is what it is. That is how far it is!"

Yes Mr Mnangagwa, we know exactly what you mean; the race to State House is an impossible one to win because no one except Mugabe knows the rules and he keeps changing them to suit his selfish purpose of remaining president for life and ruling from behind the grave by making sure that he and he alone decide who will rule after him!

Many people have dreamt of succeeding Mugabe as State President and for 35 years Mugabe has out foxed them all to remain top dog. Mnangagwa was one of those who have been aspired for high office but was cheated by Mugabe again and again now he does not know what time of day it is anymore.

In 2004 Zanu PF was going to have an elective party congress to elect a new VP to replace the late Simon Muzenda. Mnangagwa amassed support from six out of the ten party provinces and the position was his, so he thought.

Mugabe change the party's constitution, with the prompting from his shrew wife Grace as she has since admitted; ignoring party rules and procedures. The amendment demanded that one of the top four positions in the party must be a woman. Poor Mnangagwa short of a sex change, he found himself ruled out of that race. Joice Mujuru won that race!

Last year, it was Joice Mujuru's turn to be cheated. She had 8 out of the 10 provinces lined up to back her bid to retain the VP post but Mugabe fearful she was getting too powerful and would challenge him for the top position next accused her of "factionalism" and had her and a number of her supporters out of the party.

Of course factionalism is a nonsensical accusation, but that is Mugabe for you! He makes the rules as he goes along; Mai Mujuru was found guilty of breaking the rules no one knew existed.

Last year Mnangagwa did not object to Mugabe breaking the party rules again to stop Mai Mujuru, after all he was the chief beneficiary and not the victim this time. But that was not to be so for long!
When Mnangagwa was sworn in as VP, it was made clear he was going to be the first VP making him Mugabe's heir-apparent and thus finally resolving the question of who would succeed Mugabe. But within weeks of this, Mugabe had changed and had it known that Mnangagwa was NOT his chosen his successor and that the race was wide open with no front runners.

"A president is elected at the party congress," explained Mnangagwa in the interview. "There are no conditions that you must be at this level or that level to become president. The condition is that you must be a member of Zanu PF, and anybody can become a member of Zanu PF. So you can't say that because I am vice president or a member of the Politburo or a member of the Central Committee, I am nearer to becoming President."

Mnangagwa was repeating, parrot style, what Mugabe had said.

It was Mugabe who elected Mnangagwa and the other VP Mpoko and all the Politburo members and no one else in the party had a say in this. At the end of the day Mugabe will decide in his own sweet time who will be president and Mnangagwa, after 35 years of waiting in the wings and being a stone's throw away may well lose the race to someone who may well have started the run from China!

In a few weeks' time Mnangagwe will be turning 73 years of age, he has waited 35 years to be president, has come close a few times but to have the price snatched away now will be cruel and yet he is being forced to acknowledge this with a smile.

It is impossible to even pretend to feel sorry for Mnangagwa, he is getting his due deserves! When it comes to rigging the national elections Mnangagwa has been Mugabe's right-hand man in this so why should the nation have any sympathy for the man who has helped the tyrant short changed them again and again.

Mnangagwa knows that he has for the umpteenth time been shafted by the cunning old fox Mugabe; he knows the whole world knows that and is laughing at him and yet he has to once again pretend Mugabe plays by the rules.

"A president is elected at the party congress," said Mnangagwa. Yeah right! Those must be the hardest words Mnangagwa has ever had to say in his whole miserable life; he knows he is no nearer entering State House than someone walking from China given Mugabe's knack for rigging elections!