Mujuru's moment of truth has arrived

President Robert Mugabe will today chair his party's penultimate politburo meeting that could make-or-break the political career of his second in command, Vice-President Joice Mujuru.

Mujuru, pushed into a corner ahead of Zanu-PF's watershed elective congress set for December amid sensational allegation that she is at the centre of an elaborate plot to assassinate President Mugabe, is believed to be gearing for a life-saving show in defence of her political life and that of her acolytes.

Locked in a bitter tussle for the control of the former guerrilla movement with Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mujuru is accused of corruption, nepotism, fanning division and scheming to topple the president with the assistance of Western governments in an extension of the regime change agenda.

Insiders told The Zimbabwe Mail that Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF's legal supremo, will today table a litany of proposed changes, among them a clause transposed from the national constitution making clear the party's murky transitional mechanism.

"There will be a clause in the party constitution detailing how power will be transferred to a new leader in the event that President Mugabe decides to retire or something happens to him. It is nothing sinister, but just aligning the party constitution to the national constitution," said a source close to the developments.

Party secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa declined to comment on the matter.

"I do not like shouting at people. Have we ever discussed the agenda of the politburo with the media?" Mutasa asked rhetorically.

Zimbabwe's new constitution adopted at a referendum early last year provides for the last acting president to take charge of the country for 90 days before the governing party convenes to choose a substantive leader in the event that the sitting head of state is not able to perform his duties mid-term.

Other changes expected include one in which the party's provincial co-ordinating committee will only be allowed to nominate people to the central committee.

"We want our structures to second people to the central committee from which the president will then choose people to make up the politburo and the presidium. We do not want people claiming they were elected by people and are not subservient to the president.

"We would want to deal with the issue of two centres of power. You can see that Mujuru has her own politburo, central committee and even a cabinet, that is a dangerous situation," The Zimbabwe Mail heard.

In the current set-up, Zanu-PF's provincial structures nominate candidates to the central committee as well as four candidates for the presidium (president and first secretary, two second secretaries and the national chairperson).

Former Masvingo governor and minister of Psychomotor Activities Josiah Hungwe told a gathering of crossborder traders at First Lady Grace Mugabe's Mazowe Children's Home early this week that the politburo had already "agreed that President Mugabe should appoint people to both the politburo and presidium".  He was, however, accused by pro-Mujuru loyalists of putting the cart before the horse.

Mujuru has watched helplessly as her loyalists were being booted out across the country, including nine provincial chairpersons, the party's information czar Rugare Gumbo, suspended for five years, War Veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda was expelled while Mutasa reportedly survived by a whisker.

Insiders said Mujuru has realised that the statement she issued and only published in the private media did more damage to her than stem the tide and she is readying herself for a full frontal attack on her adversaries in the politburo.

The First Lady has emerged as Mujuru's greatest adversary since she was nominated to take up the position of women's league boss three months ago. President Mugabe's wife has gone on an all-out attack on Mujuru while the likes of junior Foreign minister Christopher Mutsvangwa has weighed in, casting aspersions on the country's number two's war credentials.

"It is now or never, swim or sink for Mujuru. Its either she acts or her number is up," the source added.

The First Lady has also intimated that Mujuru might remain party deputy leader but fail to make it into government.

"The national constitution states that the president shall appoint two vice presidents, but does not indicate whether it will be a man or a woman. It is up to him. The national constitution is superior to the party constitution that indicates one of the second secretaries shall be a woman as a way of affirmative action," she said.

Acting spokesperson and national chairperson Simon Khaya-Moyo was unavailable for comment.