Simba Makoni gunners for Vice Presidency under Tsvangirai

Former finance minister, and Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) leader, Simba Makoni, is reportedly aiming to become the country's first vice president, under a Morgan Tsvangirai led government, which could sweep into power in 2016, The Telescope News reported.

Fresh and more interesting details about hitherto quiet political actors are now emerging, following disclosures by this publication this week of a secret deal between, Tsvangirai and ousted VP Joice Mujuru, in which she is likely to become prime minister, for supporting the MDC-T leader's bid for presidency, as efforts to contain a feared Emmerson Mnangagwa presidential tenure set to take office anytime this year ratchets up, information provided to us indicates.

The Telescope News, understands that the pact between Mujuru and Tsvangirai, which is meant to derail and shorten current vice president, Mnangagwa's days in office, is broad-based as it includes strategic political input from Makoni, with a yet to be known function for Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) leader, Dumiso Dabengwa, in the brewing grand coalition, to finally topple Zanu PF from power.

Makoni according to disgruntled former Zanu PF ministers fired by Mugabe, for belonging to Mujuru's faction and backing her ascendancy to replace him, is coming into the political equation as a technocrat, and has been allegedly holding low-profile meetings with Tsvangirai since 2013, and assisting the former PM with identifying "cabinet material" among his senior party members.

The chemistry between Makoni and Tsvangirai, was crystallized two years ago when the former pulled out of the 2013 presidential race to back the latter. In return Tsvangirai's MDC-T promised to support and not contest Makoni's candidature in the Makoni Central National Assembly constituency, which he however lost to finance minister Patrick Chinamasa. MDC-T's Patrick Sagandira refused to obey Tsvangirai's order to withdraw his candidature, thus the vote ended up being divided.

Media reports yesterday suggested that Mujuru, had extended an olive branch to both Makoni and Dabengwa, through her top ally, former presidential affairs minister, Didymus Mutasa, who released a no holds barred statement denouncing the ouster of his erstwhile Zanu PF allies and others from the party, courting them to group up against Mugabe's rule.

"Tsvangirai has little experience in government, and his party cannot go it alone if they are to stay in power for more than five years," said a minister who has once run the information ministry. "It is for this reason that we have Amai Mujuru being recommended for the prime minister's job, while we are pushing for Simba Makoni, to be the first vice president. The country needs intelligence at the top, and that is what Makoni will bring to the table with Tsvangirai. Remember he has been finance minister, and impressively led Sadc as an executive secretary in the 80s."

Makoni was formally expelled from Zanu PF in 2008, because of his decision to challenge Mugabe in national elections that year. The MKD leader, had for a long-time been considered the most appropriate candidate to succeed Mugabe by moderates inside Zanu PF. However he openly clashed with Mugabe over economic and monetary policy, especially during his tenure as finance minister, and was sacked in 2002 following an argument with Mugabe, over devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar, which Makoni favoured.

An aide of the former Zanu PF politburo member has promised to link us up with a one on one interview with Makoni, at the appropriate time.