BULAWAYO - Former Zanu (PF) Politburo member, Dumiso Dabengwa, now leader of the revived Zapu, has denied persistent media reports that President Robert Mugabe has approached him to become the next vice-president.Earlier this week, online newspapers were awash with reports that Mugabe had called Dabengwa and spent more than an hour on the phone persuading him to replace the late Joseph Msika.
The reports went on say after the conversation two Mugabe emissaries were dispatched to Bulawayo to persuade the former ZIPRA Commander into accepting the offer. Mugabe is said to have claimed that Msika himself had explicitly said his wish would be for Dabengwa to take over from him.
But, in an interview with The Zimbabwean this week Dabengwa said: There is nothing like that happening .I am hearing it for the first time.
When pressed on whether he would accept such an offer if Mugabe approached him, Dabengwa would not give a categorical answer. I cant talk about something has not happened, was all he would say.
Dabengwa recently confirmed that he was being approached by Zanu (PF) officials keen to woo him back to the party.
“(Matabeleland South governor Angeline) Masuku approached me recently with a request from Mugabe to re-join Zanu (PF), but I told her that I would never re-join that party,” Dabengwa said in a recent interview.
“I told her that my time with Zanu (PF) ended when I left it. Its not Masuku alone who has approached me. When I left to support Makoni in March I was told that I had expelled myself from Zanu (PF) and so why would I go back when I was expelled. I am now where I belong.”
Sources said Dabengwa could find the latest offer with a vice presidency job too tempting.
Under the unity accord signed between Zanu (PF) and PF-Zapu in 1987, each party appointed a vice president to serve under Mugabe. It would therefore make sense for Mugabe to continue his delicate tribal balancing act in the Zanu (PF) presidium.
Senior officials in Zanu (PF) claimed this week that the late Vice President had indicated that he wanted Dabengwa to succeed him, and “Mugabe was granting a dead man’s wish” by extending an olive branch to Dabengwa to come back to Zanu (PF) and replace the Vice President.
Mugabe also has the option of assigning Zanu (PF) chairman John Nkomo to the vice presidency. But Nkomo is said to have indicated that he does not have the energy to serve in that capacity, given that he is reported to be suffering from cancer.
“Nkomo has officially expressed lack of interest in filling in Msikas shoes,” said our source. Nkomo this week declined to discuss the matter.
“I cant discuss that right now,” he told The Zimbabwean. “Can you try to speak to (administration secretary Didymus) Mutasa.” Mutasa was however not available for comment.
With Nkomo out of the running, Mugabe was said to be uncomfortable with the next most obvious candidate, Obert Mpofu, the current Minister of Mines, as he reportedly backs Joice Mujuru for the presidency, against Mugabes favourite, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
South Africa ambassador to South Africa, Simon Khaya-Moyo was also touted as a likely candidate, but has been dismissed as a relative lightweight.
A former Home Affairs minister, Dabengwa and five senior Zanu (PF) officials resigned from Zanu (PF) to revive ZAPU, in a move that infuriated Mugabe who branded them tribalists.
All the officials are from Matabeleland – the stronghold of (PF) ZAPU until it merged with Zanu (PF) in 1987. They include Effort Nkomo, the Zanu (PF)s former information chief in Matabeleland and his deputy Tryphine Nhliziyo as well as war veteran Andrew Ndlovu.
Dabengwa is now the interim president of ZAPU. This development has caused serious concern in Zanu (PF) which fears a breakaway by Matabeleland Zanu (PF) officials could result in a total collapse of the 1987 Unity Accord with (PF) ZAPU, resulting in the disintegration of the beleaguered party, in power since 1980.
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