How Grace Mugabe fell out with Sandi Moyo, Mahoka

For embattled Bulawayo provincial affairs minister Eunice Sandi Moyo and controversial Hurungwe East Member of Parliament Sarah Mahoka, American foreign policy guru Henry Kissinger's famous statement that there are "no permanent friends in politics, only interests" is a lived experience.

The two, who only three years ago formed a tag team with first lady Grace Mugabe to obliterate then vice-president Joice Mujuru's career in party and government, last week found themselves a target of demonstrations by members of the Zanu PF women's league who want them fired for a number of alleged transgressions.

Placards and the language used in the protests had a striking similarity to the tactics Grace used against Mujuru.
The circus rolled out last week appears to be following the 2014 script.

Insiders have since revealed that the two have fallen into the same pit as Mujuru after showing too much ambition and threatening the ambitions of President Robert Mugabe's wife.

"The problems [for the duo] can be traced back to 2014 when women forced the change of the party's constitution to adopt a clause that had been abandoned that reserved one VP position to a woman," a Zanu PF politburo member said.

"When the women clamoured for the VP post, their target beneficiary was first lady Grace Mugabe.

"In fact, the demand was seen as a G40 demand to replace Mnangagwa with Grace. Team Lacoste [the faction linked to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa] was sceptical about the whole demand but was forced to accept it."

According to the official, Team Lacoste made their own demands that since the Zanu side had already been given a chance when Mujuru was appointed VP, the next female vice president should be from former Zapu.

"This meant that Sandi Moyo would be appointed to the post of VP and Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, who is VP on a Zapu ticket, would be removed," the official added.

"So, the condition was to shut out Grace and close the door on Mphoko.

"Sandi Moyo quickly bought into the idea and showed that she was interested.

"That is where Lacoste took advantage of the situation. Grace even asked Sandi Moyo whether she was interested in the VP post, to which she said she would not mind if the first lady did not want the position."

After the encounter, insiders revealed, Grace's relationship with Sandi Moyo became strained.

Last year, Grace said she was content with her position as the Zanu PF women's league boss, fuelling speculation that the VP post was now for Sandi Moyo to take.

However, Grace has been positioning herself behind the scenes and is now eliminating those threatening her ascendancy.

Some in Zanu PF read her move and decided to join in to advance their own ambitions.

One such person has been identified as Dzepasi Innocent Tizora, the principal director of State House, who has been identified as the brains behind last week's demonstrations against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka that took most Zanu PF organs by surprise. Tizora is said to habour ambitions of becoming vice-president.

According to insiders, Grace's ally Letina Undenge has been used to co-ordinate the demolition job. Undenge is the secretary for administration in the women's league.

Undenge is said to have persuaded Grace and influenced her to dump Sandi Moyo and Mahoka after telling her that they were the biggest threat to her ambition to be VP.

Grace then ordered a co-ordinated national campaign to remove the two Mujuru style.

A "charge sheet" against the two was given to Grace and Tizora oversaw the printing of placards. The placards have a striking resemblance to those used at national events such as the burial of national heroes and independence day celebrations, raising suspicions that government resources have been used to push the factional agenda against the two.

Controversial Kadoma businessman Jimayi Muduvuri was roped in to co-ordinate the demonstrations and the die had been cast.

However, rolling out the demonstrations was not smooth sailing after Team Lacoste seized the opportunity to fight its rivals in G40.

The "charge sheet" against Mahoka was amended to include demands that she must be punished for allegedly insulting Mnangagwa and Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba.

Mahoka last year grabbed headlines after she openly accused Mnangagwa of plotting to topple Mugabe.

The outspoken MP accused Charamba of promoting factionalism in Zanu PF by advancing Team Lacoste's interests through the state media. At the time, Mahoka had Grace's backing and the first lady went on to repeat the allegations against Mnangagwa at a rally in Chiweshe.

Mugabe and Grace were last week told that the demonstrations had been hijacked and could bring unintended results for the fractious party.

The 93-year-old ruler, who last month complained that some leaders in Zanu PF were plotting against him, summoned Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo last week and ordered him to stop the demonstrations against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka.

But Grace told Chombo not to interfere with women's league programmes. On Friday women were bussed from all over the country to demonstrate against Sandi-Moyo in Bulawayo.

"The idea of hijacking the programme was to ensure that Mahoka, who shouted at Mnangagwa, and Sandi Moyo, a G40 kingpin were fired," another politburo member said.

"This would also have exposed Grace as a person who uses people and dumps them.

"She dumped the seven youth provincial chairpersons who include Godfrey Tsenegamu and Godwin Gomwe soon after the ouster of Mujuru.

"After the wave of demonstrations, Lacoste Team has been reaching out to G40 members asking them to join them, warning them that they would be Grace's next targets.

"The plan was also now to target the G40 bigwigs who include political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere."

The first lady has since met some G40 members and they told her she had fallen into a Team Lacoste trap.

"Grace is now backtracking on the demand to remove Sandi-Moyo and Mahoka," the official added.

"She is fast realising that she had been set up against her allies. She is now demanding answers on how a charge for insulting Mnangagwa was smuggled onto the list of allegations against Mahoka."

The charge against Mahoka was handwritten while the original text was typed.

In Bulawayo on Friday as Grace's foot soldiers met to strategise ahead of the poorly attended demonstration, Muduvuri suggested that the purge must be extended to G40 aligned ministers, particularly Kasukuwere but  the idea was shot down by one Abigail Gava, a known Lacoste supporter from Mashonaland West.

Gava reminded Muduvuri that they were in Bulawayo to demonstrate only against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka.

Muduvuri had received a call from a Harare businessman, who is a land baron and Mugabe's relative to pin down Kasukuwere. After he was reprimanded, he claimed he was Kasukuwere's friend and had a meeting with him before he travelled to Bulawayo.

Kasukuwere had provided two commuter omnibuses from his Mashonaland Central province for the Bulawayo demonstration.

Suspected land barons, who include Muduvuri are reportedly baying for Kasukuwere's blood after they lost some of their land to the government.

"Undenge was innocently taking instructions from Grace but Tizora used his close relationship with her to manipulate the demonstration, which now seems to be targeting people who attacked Mnangagwa," a source said.

There are also reports that war veterans and some Zanu PF members are planning to demonstrate against Mandi Chimeme tomorrow to demand her ouster for attacking Mnangagwa.

Grace attacked Mnangagwa on several occasions, especially over the case where some soldiers were accused of trying to bomb dairy project in Mazowe.

She also accused Mnangagwa of being too ambitious and promiscuous, siring children everywhere around the country.
Some women's league members are now questioning why it is only Mahoka who is being punished for attacking Mnangagwa when Grace said worse things.

"As the Lacoste plot thickens, most people are chickening out. They are realising that it is now a Lacoste project," the politburo member said.

Zanu PF women's league spokesperson Sithokozile Mathuthu yesterday said she had no idea what was happening when she was asked about developments in the Zanu PF wing.

Undenge referred questions to Mathuthu while Tizora said he does not talk to The Standard.

Muduvuri last week said he was not part of the women's league after he was asked about her role in the demonstrations.

Kasukuwere who is said to have met both Mugabe and Grace over the matter, yesterday refused to comment.