Team Lacoste live to die another day?

As the race to succeed the 92 year old president, Robert Mugabe is fast reaching boiling point and fouler, Zimbabweans are yet to witness more heads rolling in the troubled Zanu-PF, since the dice has been cast and battle lines defined. As Mugabe was concluding his address at the last year's People's Conference in Victoria Falls, he said 'the mission was accomplished'. Only few comrades deduced something from his veiled statement. The old man was happy that he has once again consolidated power after controversial Women's League resolutions were successfully smuggled into agenda of the Conference, especially the women Vice President(50-50 representation) resolution which will see the tumultuous Grace Mugabe into the presidium.

After antagonising the team Lacoste members, Mugabe perpetuated and strengthened the G-40 camp position. A day after the bully Christopher Mutsvangwa was disowned by his home province (Mash West) through a vote of no confidence. In line with that, the exuberant youthful MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena was also arrested and docked in Victoria Falls for allegedly insulting the First Lady. Prior to the Conference, the wife of Mutsvangwa was shown the door

No sin they did commit, but their crime is just but aligning and supporting the "Croc" VP. The year 2016, is an interesting year in the history of Zimbabwe as many more cadres are expected to be fired for failure to align themselves with team ‘Gucci'. What now complicate the power dynamics is the joining in of the securocrats in the succession matrix, as one confirmed by Mugabe.

Munagangwa's future is hanging in the balance and his team is just living to die another day as his backers are been tormented with vote of no confidence and expulsions daily. Soon the ZANU-PF constitution will be amended to pave way for 50-50 women representation at all level of the party including the presidium. The 'Croc's ' presidential ambitions are all but scuttled. All this madness is happening in his eye and can't challenge it! He forgot that quite-diplomacy dealt Joyce Mujuru cruelly and doesn't stop the power hungry team Grace's machinations.

What you sow is what you reap?
Being overzealous to rise to power, Munangagwa teamed up with the G-40 to annihilate Mujuru and her backers, prior to and after the 2014 December Conference. He (Munangagwa), was responsible for amending the Zanu-PF constitution(removing a clause which allowed a woman in the presidium)as the then incumbent legal secretary. The other biggest mistake, Munangagwa made was to scrap the clause that allowed election ofpolitburo members, giving Mugabe absolute power to appoint members including VPs. He thought he was punishing Madam Joyce, but unaware that he was technically being used by the team "Gucci" to topple Joyce clearing the way to State House for them. Why it skipped his mind?  Perhaps he forgot that Mugabe is a trickster and in politics, there are no permanent friend and enemies!

A little while longer, the dormant 'Croc' was dumped after the Mujuru factor was squashed. The G-40 regrouped propelling Madam Grace with the aphorism, "Munhu wese kunaamai" (everyone to the mother-First Lady). Honestly, Munangagwa is serving at the mess of Mugabe as once confirmed by, the ZANU-PF spokesperson-Simon Kaya Moyo. To complicate the whole succession saga again, is the fact that Mugabe is no longer ruling from the corridors of party and government, but from the dents of the Borowdalebedroom which he shares with one of the power contender, Grace; as once confirmed by firebrand Jabulani Sibanda . The nefarious  First Lady is the one deciding the runners to party and government positions, as what she said on most of her whirlwind rallies has come to pass for example the  once famous "Mujuru baby dumping mantra."  It is a principle of God and a natural law that no sin can go unpunished; whatever a man sow in the dark, he will surely reap in the daylight. Undeniably, team Lacoste is just reaping what it sow when the ravens where watching!

When they accused Madam Joyce with blatant untested lies, it was a celebration season. Mutsvangwa mocked Joyce and dispelled her liberation struggle history which is painted everywhere, while soon to fall Wadyajena was the blue-eyed boy of Grace more than Chatunga himself. His Jeep Cheroke car was painted like a 'Meridian Christmas tree' with Grace Mugabe's hot images, in attempt to mock the valiant Mujuru. Now that Wadyajena was once docked, after his barrage of Grace in Vic-Falls late last year, and has been silenced; the big question that still demands an answer is what really went wrong between once coveted political allies. He was blinded by the then political bandwagon forgetting that ZANU-PF has a clear-cut history of eating its own, like a drought stricken hen.  You are reaping Sir!

Recently the trouble and self-styled super war veteran, Christopher Mutsvangwa suffered a national embarrassment, when his patron savaged him on live broadcast due to his attempt to de-campaign Queen Grace Gucci with his horde of misguided hungry and dirty charlatans (war vets). These are the same people who in 2008 after a first round Mugabe defeat, went around the rural areas, cutting hands and killing of innocent defenceless civilian (MDC supporters), and now want to pretend as the modern day "Rabbis" of democracy. The intention is just obvious in the knowledge of fellow countrymen - their interests are shaken, their leader Mutsvangwa is just a moving grave, while Munangagwa is just now a gigantic Lebanon cedar tree without roots. That is why they are making gabble noise! No wonder why Saviour Kasukuwere called them drunkards!It's now reaping time comrades, keep it on - let's go!

While hell is bending on the vocal gorilla and Lacoste's cutting teeth -Mutsvangwa,  it is as well an untold story on the other team "Ngwena" adherents, the guillotine is switched on and the hanger man(Saviour Kasukuwere) man can't waste the opportune stint. Suspensions and vote of no confidence are just the order of the day, while manufacturing of accusation is looming across the provinces as the G-40 is huffing to consolidate power since it is now in full control of the provinces, save Masvingo and Midlands.

It was a lame last minute resolution by Matebeleland Regions and a clique of war veterans that they support the coming in of the women-Vice President but this time coming from ZAPU cadres. This is daylight hallucination as this abject resolution will never see a day since Grace who wants to be the president is now both the player and the referee in the succession matrix. The only hope of Munangagwa lies with the army leaders who are backing him in the event that they stage a coup, something that has its success only when Mugabe is in the grave yard, given his tight control of the security sectors.

Soon the ZANU constitution will be amended to accommodate the demands of the Women's League from the last People's Conference. This will technically mean the 'Croc' will be removed from the party and State VP office, setting an up-step for the tongue-twisting First lady to rise to the bosoms of power, the same way Joyce Mujuru rose. Still Munangagwa can't see this well calculated ploy, even if he is a legal mind. Recently he was dared in public by a mere (low rank) ZANU-PF Women's League Finance Secretary, Sarah Mahoka, who was pretentiously speaking for Grace. The fanatic and frivolous orator George Charamba was not spared as well in that knife throwing jamboree! The nation is still waiting to see if Munangagwa is going to listen to the instruction of his junior officer who challenged her to declare publicly his presidential ambitions like what Mphoko and Grace did, otherwise he is just a walking dead man! Dismissal is imminent while death is hanging, given the four times break-ins and intrusions coupled with attempts on his life plus the recent public death threat by Sarah Mahoka. Should Munangagwa display the caricature of a Crocodile or he is just an over glorified, imagined overzealous and ambitious lizard? No-one knows! News coming from impeccable sources reports that G-40 secret meetings were conducted and resolved to kick out Munangagwa, first from his home province (Midlands), followed by the rest of other provinces. Smear campaigns and demonstration against the 'Croc' were pipelined for the near future.

Future Hope?
While the repressive Mugabe party and government is melting in succession relay, the economy is just a sinking Titanic. Nobody cares!  The future in the hands of Mugabe regime is just bleak. State resources looting and corruption is ever growing beyond doubt. House demolition in and around Harare is unbelievable. Drought coupled with an over a decade of poor harvest in the productive lands of Zimbabwe is just promising to destroy masses in communities if God ignores the nation. No readily available money and other resources to combat hunger. The national leaders are lining their pockets and their bellies. All they tell us is just a series of promises of maize coming from abroad, which will never get down to Chiundura, Binga, Zaka, Matopos, Buhera etc (those drought stricken areas.)

Meanwhile Mugabe has just donated 300 beats to African Union Foundation, while his populace is wallowing in hunger. If Bob has the capacity to fund the AU units, it means he has enough money. Why then does he seek donations for birthday party forcing companies and poor citizens to contribute? What a heartless and greed leader?!

Future glory of Zimbabweans lies in the Lord God raising man and women in Zimbabwe who are ready to sacrifice their life and resources for proper state administration and draft policies that will by no doubt revive the economy. These characters must drop their self-interests and petty politicking gimmicks and unify people.  Looking at the current matters happening outside government and Zanu-PF party, the coming in of Mujuru and her newly registered party promises to be the only Messianic movement that can make the ZANU entity collapse and save Zimbabwe.

Godwin Mpakairi Tshetu is a political commentator and computer scientist
goddietshetu@gmail.com