ZANU PF politburo member Emerson Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxilia, together with four others are demanding $50 million from the Midlands Resident minister and Zanu PF provincial chairman Jason Machaya, his chief election agent Douglas Kanengoni and Kudakwashe Bhasikiti in a defamation claim, which is probably a first for President Robert Mugabe’s party.
The litigation comes on the backcloth of Larry Mavhima’s recent loss in the provincial chairmanship race to Machaya who has been linked to a faction allegedly led by Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
Mavhima is a close Mnangagwa ally and his loss is seen as a sapping blow to his camp which was beaten in its own backyard amid allegations of vote-buying, rigging and mud-smearing.
Auxilia, a Zanu PF central committee member, former provincial chairman July Moyo, Douglas Tapfuma, Zhombe MP Mackenzie Ncube and Owen Ncube are each demanding $10 million from Machaya over a letter which was authored by Kanengoni in the just-ended Zanu PF provincial elections.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to decipher that the political fallout which is now spilling into the courts confirms what we have written in the pages of this newspaper — that Zanu PF is ravaged by internecine fights.
The mandarins in Zanu PF have ducked and dived when confronted over the issue of factionalism in Mugabe’s party, insisting there were no factions in the party as the power-hungry jostle to succeed the veteran party leader.
Both Mngangwa and Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who is linked to a rival faction, have publicly denied leading any camps in Zanu PF.
But there you have it. Factionalism is playing out in the open in the Midlands province, Mngangwa’s backyard. For the uninitiated, Mngangwa, otherwise referred to as Ngwenya, the crocodile, is one of the powerful figures in Zanu PF and to some, a leading candidate to succeed Mugabe.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Despite sheepish denials, it has been an open secret for many years that he would like to succeed Mugabe, so his wife cannot just sit when she feels or assumes her husband’s political turf is being threatened, hence the $50 million litigation.
One would be politically stupid not to fathom that things are not well for Mugabe and his party as things are heating up in the race to succeed the strongman of Zanu PF.
Critics are probably right to point out that Mugabe’s major challenges for his controversial new term are the economy and the succession issue. The country should brace for more political mayhem from Zanu PF closet.
