November 20-26, 2014

Contents

Compiled by – Mike Taylor – MIGS desk officer for Zimbabwe

• Mujuru loses battle to maintain VP post
• Purges
• Assassination Plot
• Tsvangirai, Mujuru and the 2002 election results

Mujuru loses battle to maintain VP post

Independent Media

Daily News, November 26, 2014
“Zanu PF heavyweights lose”

• The political careers are in limbo after more than a dozen Zanu PF ministers have not been nominated into the Zanu PF’s central committee in provincial elections on Tuesday.
• Their loss is seen as part of a ‘blitzkrieg’ against Joice Mujuru loyalists.
• The loss of the nomination polls seems to have driven the last nail into the coffin of Mujuru’s Political career.
• Daily News contends that VP Mujuru did not submit her CV to participate in elections due to the wildness of the factionalism this week.

Zimbabwe Independent, November 21, 2014
“Mnangagwa to become Vice-President”, by Faith Zaba

• Mugabe can only make the arrangements he likes if Zanu PF proposed constitutional amendments are ratified.
• Mnangagwa could be appointed Vice President in the near future.
• Mnangagwa’s loyalists, with the help of Grace Mugabe, have been keeping up pressure and making demands on VP Joice Mujuru to step down from her position.
• Grace Mugabe has been dropping hints about what will happen. She has said endearing things regarding Mnangagwa and at the same time has been talking about how a man can be appointed VP. This alludes to her wishes to have Mnangagwa appointed to the position of VP during the December Congress.
• The removal of nine provincial chairpersons, executive committee members, Women’s League bosses and the suspension of Rugare Gumbo has signaled the end of VP Joice Mujuru.
• The messages coming from Grace Mugabe are confused as she has clearly expressed her intention of becoming president, yet she is setting up Mnangagwa to take that position if Mugabe dies.

State-controlled Media

The Herald, November 26, 2014
“Home district shuts door on Mujuru”

• Mujuru’s district of origin, Mt. Darwin, rejected her application to participate in elections.
• VP Mujuru submitted her CV to the provincial elections directorate which rejected it on the basis that she was implicated in a plot to assassinate Robert Mugabe.
• In Harare, “Central Committee elections were marred by violence, with Politburo member Cde (Comrade) Tendai Savanhu, who had already been barred from contesting, facing allegations of instigating the disturbances.”

The Herald, November 20, 2014
“Under fire VP brews a shocker”

• VP Joice Mujuru filed papers to contest her position at the National People’s Congress.
• Grace Mugabe has led calls for the removal of the VP. The calls have been answered by war veterans, students and the Women’s League. Members of these Zanu PF groups have promised to carry Mujuru away if she does not step down.
• The Hearld’s sources say the move on behalf of Mujuru was wrong because it was premature, unprecedented and wrong in that contestants for such posts do not apply but have to be nominated by six of ten provinces.
  

The Herald, November 22, 2014
“VP Mujuru has expelled herself”, by Lovemore Mataire

• Joice Mujuru has expelled herself from the Zanu PF by filing nomination papers to contest the position of Vice President and Second Secretary of the party.
• Her decision has defied the Politburo and by that, she becomes ineligible to continue being a Zanu PF member.
• It is alleged that as a war veteran, VP Mujuru has an obligation to respect her commander-in-chief just like other war veterans have done over the years.

Purges

Independent Media

Daily News, November 21, 2014
“Fresh Crises hit Zanu PF”, by Lloyd Mbiba

• The climate within the Zanu PF is so bad that a senior Zanu PF member has asked “who is in charge?”
• He was alluding to the many competing centres of power including Grace Mugabe, war veterans and party hardliners.
• When the Herald released an article accusing Joice Mujuru of ‘clandestinely filing papers’, this indicated serious paranoia within the Zanu PF. 
• Analyst Shepherd Mntungwa said that the plan to oust Mujuru was beginning to backfire spectacularly.
• “Zanu PF is in serious trouble, and because it is the ruling party, so is the country, whose economy is now famously navigating the choppy skies on autopilot” said Mntunga.
• Conspiracy theories developed by the Zanu PF are making international partners anxious about the country as well, said Mntunga.
• The party’s National Disciplinary Committee met on November 20, 2014 to rubber stamp the latest rounds of party-expulsions and votes of no confidence.

News Day, November 19, 2014
“Pro-Mujuru ministers face congress shutout”, by Moses Matenga 

• Zanu PF members with links to the First Family have threatened to block Cabinet ministers from the upcoming party congress
• The ministers are allegedly involved in a plot designed to topple Robert Mugabe.
• The congress runs from December 2 to 7.
• Godwin Gomwe, a Zanu PF member in a state of limbo after a suspended vote of no confidence due to violent tendencies confirmed the plan to block the ministers.
• A party of youths attending Grace Mugabe’s meeting at her Children’s Home in Mazowe accused several ministers of plotting Robert Mugabe’s downfall.
• MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said what was happening in the Zanu PF was devastating for the economy.
  

Zimbabwe Independent, November 21, 2014
“Security chiefs face purging”, by Elias Mambo

• Security chiefs from various government institutions are facing purges as Grace Mugabe and her allies push for their removal.
• Grace Mugabe has recently linked the Central Intelligence Organization’s director general, Happyton Bonyongwe, to the Mujuru faction.
• Candidates are already being considered to replace Bonyongwe and several other security chiefs.

Daily News, November 25, 2014
“Bloodbath in Zanu PF”, by Lloyd Mbiba and Mugove Tafirenyika

• At least 10 Cabinet members and more than 100 Zanu PF legislators face ‘the political wilderness’ as purging has reached alarming levels ahead of the December Congress.
• These actions are raising concerns about the economic welfare of the Zimbabwean economy and its deteriorating public services.
• Analysts predict that a cabinet reshuffle is now imminent and that many politicians no longer enjoy Mugabe’s confidence.
• Amid violence, some candidates have decided not to submit their names for central committee elections. This was due to the undesirable climate within the Zanu PF.

News Day, November 26, 2014
“Violence erupts as more Zanu PF chefs fall”, by Blessed Mhlanga/ Obey Manayiti/ Moses Matenga

• Harare experienced violence yesterday in MP Tendai Savanhu’s zone. Zanu PF central committee elections were postponed.
• Two other Zanu PF ministers linked to Joice Mujuru were ejected from the party on Tuesday.
• Politburo member Clevaria Chizema said the election in Zone 6 in Harare where Savanhu was contesting could not go ahead because of violence.

Daily News, November 26, 2014
“Mugabe dumps liberation values”, by Gift Phiri

• Robert Mugabe is constructing a reconfigured personalized rule; one that operates in no way like the one developed in the Zanu PF’s 1980 manifesto.
• The Zanu PF’s number one policy according to the 1980 manifesto was to establish a “nationalist, socialist, Pan-Africanist and democratic Republic of Zimbabwe.”
• The manifesto also declared that power must be vested in the people. These tenets do not hold to what Robert Mugabe has recently done in changing the constitution to hand-pick his deputies.
• The suspension of internal elections is one of the most controversial periods in Zanu PF’s history, writes The Daily Mail.
• Daily Mail also alleges that the rhetoric concerning assassination plots ahead of the December Congress is allowing Mugabe to subvert the democratic process under the guise of ‘patriotism.’
• The rhetoric also diverts focus from the economic peril that the country finds itself in.
• Regimes like the one Mugabe is continuing to develop do not encourage investment and experience less economic growth.

State-controlled media

The Herald, November 20, 2014
“More heads roll in Zanu PF Harare Province”, by Nyemudzai Kakore

• Six members were ejected from the Zanu PF Youth League on Tuesday, while the Women’s League fired three top administrators in Harare Province.
• They all stand accused of fanning factionalism.
• The Youth League members were expelled through “votes of no confidence”.

The Sunday Mail, November 23, 2014
“Politburo members demand arrests”

• The Zanu PF constitution has been amended to ensure there is only one centre of power in the ruling party.
• Robert Mugabe will appoint all Politburo members, including both Vice Presidents.
• Politburo members also called for the arrest of those plotting to assassinate or ouster Robert Mugabe.
• They also upheld the suspension of most of the country’s provincial leaders.
• The article read that because of the direct elections to many positions within the Politburo, there was no guarantee of loyalty to Mugabe.

Assassination plot

Independent Media

Daily News, November 19, 2014
“I’m not afraid – Gumbo”, by Fungi Kwaramba

• Suspended Zanu PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, has been accused of treason by state media.
• He claims that he is not afraid of the “trumped-up” allegations that he was involved in an assassination plot designed to end Mugabe.
• Gumbo said that the voice recordings alleged to include remarks that could be considered ‘plotting’ are doctored.
• Gumbo’s ouster seems to be part of a party purging of all of Vice President Joice Mujuru’s allies.

State-controlled Media

The Herald, November 22, 2014
“Goche discussed assassination plot”

• Zanu PF Politburo member Nicholas Goche said that some people will be shot in the run up to the Zanu PF’s National People’s Congress.
• In September, 2014 he also said that real war was coming in the lead up to the Congress.
• Goche has denied having made the comments.
• War veterans and political analysts have called for the removal of Goche since allegations of having made the statements became public.
• He is also accused of having planned an assassination attempt with hitmen from Israel and South Africa.
• He has been accused of working with Joice Mujuru to plot an illegitimate regime change

Tsvangirai, Mujuru and 2002 election results

Independent Media

News Day, November 20, 2014
“Mugabe on way out”, by Everson Mushava

• Morgan Tsvangirai says that the Zanu PF has been hijacked by “nonentities and opportunists” as Robert Mugabe’s exit is now imminent.
• He said Mugabe’s exit would create a political vacuum and that the result would be the suffering of ordinary people.
• He compared the recent occurrences in Zimbabwe to the dying days of Mao when his wife tried to take control in China (a reference to Grace Mugabe’s recent political rise).
• Grace Mugabe has taken the side of faction-leader and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa while launching vehement attacks on VP Joice Mujuru.
• Tsvangirai also lambasted the SADC for its role is supporting the flawed 2002 election results which saw a Mugabe victory.
• He said the SADC having turned a blind eye to violence in the 2002, 2008 and 2013 elections represented a travesty of democracy.

State-controlled Media

The Herald, November 20, 2014
“Mujuru faction courts MDC-T – Parties discuss merger modalities – Mujuru tipped for presidency, Tsvangirai PM”

• Members of VP Joice Mujuru’s faction and an MDC-T member met to discuss the possibility of a merger between disgruntled Zanu PF members and the MDC-T.
• The two groups discussed implementing a tandem similar to that seen in Russia between Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin. Mujuru and Tsvangirai would alternate presidential and prime ministerial duties.
• Grace Mugabe recently accused Mujuru of helping to create the MDC.
• Morgan Tsvangirai recently put his support behind the embattled Joice Mujuru and declared that Grace Mugabe would not succeed at whatever it is that she is planning.
• The Herald also claims that Mujuru has sympathy from opposition parties, NGOs and independent media.
• Tsvangirai insulted the SADC after comments about the 2002 elections

The Herald, November 21, 2014
“Report on 2002 polls a nullity”, by Fidelis Munyoro and Felix Share

• The report issued by two South African judges on Ziimbabwe’s 2002 elections has been dismissed by government and legal experts as a ‘nullity’.
• The report claimed that elections were not credible, free or fair.
• Information Minister Johnathan Moyo said that the report was not useful.
• Morgan Tsvangirai meanwhile supported the report.
• The Herald interviewed two lawyers who maintain that the 2002 elections were free and fair and that Western-backed NGOs were ‘silenced’ by the validity of the elections.