Mugabe to appoint and disappoint tomorrow - Video

President Robert Mugabe began a widely-anticipated reshuffle of his cabinet in order to replace the eight ministers that were fired along with Mujuru and is expected to announce the new Cabinet on Friday.

The swearing in of the two VPs will be followed by possible appointments and disappointments as Mugabe conducts an anticipated Cabinet reshuffle. On Wednesday, Mugabe announced that he would reshuffle Cabinet in order to replace the eight ministers that were fired along with Mujuru.

President Mugabe said Mnangagwa and Mphoko will be officially sworn into office on December 12 at State House, along with the new Cabinet Ministers.

"The two will automatically be the two Vice Presidents in government and they will be sworn in on Friday. They will swear that they will be loyal, truly loyal to the President and the country," President Mugabe said.


The Zanu-PF Politburo changes were a precursor to a Cabinet shake-up that will reflect the fall-out from the alleged attempt to push out Mugabe.

Mugabe is understood to be keen to ensure his Politburo dovetails seamlessly with State functions, sources say any changes to the party team reflects on the Cabinet.

Mnangagwa replaced Mujuru while Mphoko comes in to fill the post left vacant following the death of John Landa Nkomo in January last year. The President confirmed that the two will automatically become national Vice Presidents in government.

Mnangagwa could have landed the vice presidency of the party and consequently government 10 years ago when he received support from eight out of 10 party provinces but was humbled when President Mugabe turned the tables by agreeing to demands from women, including his wife, for a woman to be appointed to the presidium. This resulted in the elevation of Mujuru, who was incredibly humiliated after being dismissed from her position over allegations she plotted the demise of President Mugabe.

Swearing in the new office bearers, President Mugabe said he hoped the new Politburo would be more vibrant than the old one.

"We want them to meet regularly, submit reports to the Central Committee as provided for by the constitution of the party. We are in the driving seat and we must drive. We don't want to make this place (Zanu-PF HQ) a place for achieving selfish goals and scheme personal plots. We have taken action on some but we do not know how the machinery of Mai Mujuru and her cabal operated through the office of Didymus Mutasa," he said.

Political analyst, Alois Masepe pointed out that despite Mnangagwa now strategically positioned to take over after President Mugabe it was still not cast in stone since Zanu-PF leader is the king maker.

Sighting the 2005 Tsholotsho Declaration debacle during which Mnangagwa is alleged to have tried to ascend to the vice president's post, Masepe said: "The new changes to the party's constitution makes President Mugabe the king maker, so he can make you and unmake you. In 2005 President Mugabe unmade Mnangagwa and made Mujuru the vice president and gave her impression that she should not end there. Come 2014, the President has unmade her because she had come up with structures that were supporting her and not the President. Mnangagwa made the same mistake in 2004 and the President was very vicious as he has done now. What is happening is an old record playing. There is nothing new."

Masepe also said the current upheavals in Zanu-PF had effectively left it weaker because only one faction has been allowed to prevail.

"In the past the two factions core-existed under one umbrella despite their differences. A clean sweep of the structures by one faction organically weakens the party because the other party is no longer complimenting the other," he said.

http://youtu.be/lbwnReFsh5I