War Vets breath fire, call for Mugabe's young wife to be arrested

A SECTION of Zimbabwe's War Veterans Association has come out guns blazing over the First Lady Grace Mugabe' controversial succession utterances.

The ex-combatants want the wife of Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe arrested for daring her 93 year old husband to name a successor like what happened to them last year when they implored Robert who has ruled the country for 37 years to step down through a hard hitting communique addressed to the nonagenarian.

Grace, in an unusual fashion, dared her aging husband to anoint a successor on Thursday this week during ZANU PF Women's League meeting which was also attended by Robert in the capital, in what pundits believe is the climax of a party currently grappling to contain infighting over who will take over the button from Robert should he die or retire.

Although the succession matter is taboo within the revolutionary party, Grace is not the first one within the ZANU PF ranks to wade into the sensitive succession issue. War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube also recently torched the same storm when he urged Robert to choose a successor to put an end to factional battles within the ruling party.

But Robert who has already been endorsed as ZANU PF' 2018 presidential candidate insists a successor is a "Congress issue" which no one should poke their nose into until the party's elective congress set for 2019.

Responding to Grace's utterances at a press conference in Harare today, the ex-combatants who broke ranks with Robert last year said the First Lady was day dreaming and should instead be arrested just like they were arrested for urging Robert to chose his successor.

Outspoken War Veterans secretary general Victor Matemadanda swore that the former fighters would never allow the President to chose a successor from home without giving much detail on how they would stop him should he chose a successor before Congress.

"We are not going to allow a situation whether dreaming or what, we are not going to allow anyone to appoint a successor from their home, it's not acceptable," Matemadanda charged.

"We have been harassed for saying that there is a dynasty in creation. In the same manner we were arrested for calling upon the President to appoint his successor, she (Grace Mugabe) must be arrested, we will be waiting for the police to do so," he fumed.

Matemadanda and his allies were arrested in 2016 for demanding that the 93 year old appoints his successor or else risk letting the country slide into crisis.

Zanu PF is currently embroiled in a factional war pitting Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and another allegedly led by younger Zanu PF members and rooting for the First Lady to take over from her husband.

But both factions have denied any ambitions to power but President Mugabe has warned of their existence saying the people must choose their leader.

Although it is not clear which faction  has the support of Robert Mugabe as he often plays in between them, Matemadanda alleged it was now clear that the 93 year old ruler was the man behind the G40 faction.

Ironically, war vets fronted by their embattled leader Christopher Mutsvangwa are reportedly canvassing support for Mnangagwa to replace Robert Mugabe.