via Zanu PF wars: Aluta continua – DailyNews Live Fungi Kwaramba, CHIEF WRITER • 14 December 2015
VICTORIA FALLS – Instead of healing the gaping wounds in the body politic of President Robert Mugabe’s warring post-congress Zanu PF, last week’s party conference only managed to paper over the cracks — with rival factions departing Mosi-oa-Tunya as determined as ever to fight to the death over control of the former liberation movement.
And after three days of contrived harmony — marked by gluttonous eating, excessive drinking, exaggerated unity and mostly vacuous speeches — party insiders who spoke to the Daily News on Saturday evening said it was “definitely aluta continua” (Portuguese for the struggle continues) as far as the party’s seemingly-unstoppable factional and succession wars are concerned.
“It’s back to reality for the party, its supporters and senior officials, as nothing has changed. Until people know who will succeed president Mugabe, it’s definitely aluta continua. Everyone knows this,” a politburo member said emphatically.
Another conference delegate from the Midlands, who said he was rooting for embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe, said “only a fool will think the G40 (Zanu PF’s ambitious Young Turks) will stop plotting against Lacoste (Mnangagwa)”.
“We know that they will redouble their efforts to trip the VP. They wanted Lacoste dead at this conference but failed, and so they will come back with venom. We know that and we are ready,” he said.
But the VP’s party foes claimed that they had inflicted “a mortal wound” on him after the women’s league resolution demanding the reintroduction of 50-50 gender representation, including in the former liberation movement’s presidium was accepted by Mugabe.
“Ngwena is a dead man walking and the whole Team Lacoste camp knows that,” fired a central committee member opposed to the VP.
Indeed, the women’s league successfully demanded a return of the women’s quota in both the government and the ruling party, their target being Mnangagwa. Mugabe even said, in his typically shrewd way, “mission accomplished” to wild cheers after this resolution was read out.
The timeframe that women gave to have one of their own in the presidium, that this be implemented in 2016, also means that time is running out for Mnangagwa to draw on his legendary cunning to escape the impending guillotine.
But his equally determined supporters are already attempting to turn the tables on the Midlands godfather’s co-deputy, Phelekezela Mphoko.
“We want the woman quota to return, but the woman candidate should be from Zapu. As Mai Mujuru was from Zanu and was there for 10 years at the top, it is only fair that both sides get equal chances,” one Team Lacoste member said.
But there was to be more pain for Team Lacoste at the conference when Mugabe launched a thinly-disguised public attack on one of Mnangagwa’s key backers, War Veterans minister Chris Mutsvangwa.
Mutsvangwa, who stands accused of bragging about his liberation war credentials ad nauseum, kept staring at his mobile phone as Mugabe shellacked him, effectively backing his nemesis, national party political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.
“We are all the same, peasants or those who went to the war. If you keep on bragging about participating in the war we will ask you how many guns were you carrying and did you fight alone,” Mugabe said.
In that regard, many left the conference believing that the days of the erudite Mutsvangwa, a senior party official and Cabinet minister may be numbered.
The post Zanu PF wars: Aluta continua appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.