Purged Zanu-PF leaders can bounce back, analysts

THE ongoing purge of beleaguered Vice President Joice Mujuru's supporters from Zanu-PF's powerful central committee does not necessarily spell the end of their political careers, opposition bodies say.

"It's too early to say this is the political death of these people who have been ousted," said McDonald Lewanika, director of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC).

"In 2004 quite a number of chairpersons were purged, but a number of them were able to find their way back into the good graces of [President] Robert Mugabe and occupy influential Zanu-PF positions," he said.

Several chairmen of the ruling party's provincial structures have been removed while former war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda was fired. Politburo member and ex-national spokesman Rugare Gumbo was suspended for five years.

Subsequent to that, Mujuru and a number of cabinet ministers linked to the vice president, had their bids to return to the central committee blocked.

Two more party officials who must have thought they had escaped the pro-Mujuru purge after securing seats in party elections last week have been told they too are ousted.

National political commissar Webster Shamu and minister of state in Mujuru's office Sylvester Nguni were deposed because they "unashamedly associated with Mujuru".

The purges follow allegations by First Lady Grace Mugabe that Mujuru was planning to topple her husband at the Zanu-PF elective congress beginning next Tuesday in Harare.

The state media has also been awash with allegations of corruption against Mujuru and claims ministers and top officials aligned to her considered assassinating Mugabe should he refuse to step aside for his deputy.

Said the suspended Gumbo of the shock developments in the ruling party: "We are witnessing something strange in Zanu-PF where all of us who were in the struggle are being accused of trying to assassinate the president.

"Mai [Mrs] Mujuru is like a daughter to President Mugabe. How can she decide to kill him now? She knows no other leader except president Mugabe."

Lewanika added: "Anyone who is perceived to be supportive of Joice Mujuru, who herself is perceived to have posed a challenge to Robert Mugabe in terms of his stay in the presidential office until he dies, is being removed," said Lewanika.

"The initial sense was that Mnangagwa was behind this, but it's become clearer and clearer that none of these things would be happening without the express consent of Mugabe," Lewanika added.

Pedzisai Ruhanya of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, says the ousting of Mujuru's supporters "is something that was well-planned".

"What Mugabe is not sure about is that if he were to allow Mujuru to reach congress with the support she had, anything could have happened."

Gumbo said Zanu-PF had effectively splintered in two.

"Fundamentally the party has split," Gumbo was quoted as saying by the UK-based Telegraph newspaper.

"They are changing the party constitution. This is therefore not the Zanu-PF of which we were members. That party is now gone."

Harare-based academic and former Zanu-PF member, Ibbo Mandaza, said Mugabe could not imagine life away from State House.

"Mugabe knows everyone everywhere wants him to leave. He can't imagine a life out of power, so he manipulated all of this," Mandaza told the UK publication.