Mnangagwa played an active role in dislodging Mujuru and, for a moment, we thought he had finally succeeded in his schemes. Word quickly spread that, by making him VP, President Robert Mugabe had virtually anointed him his heir apparent. In fact, the Crocodile also believed the myth. I hope that he has abandoned that puffy optimism, because all things on the ground are arguing against it.
Almost all the allies he hobnobbed with in the battle against the Mujuru camp have abandoned him. Tellingly, the man at the so-called one centre of power that Mnangagwa helped draw in the sand at the December congress is clearly not impressed with the idea of the Crocodile succeeding him. That was evident in his bold public statement recently when he dismissed the myth that Mnangagwa was more senior to his colleague in the vice presidency, Phelekezela Mphoko.
That statement is ample evidence that Mugabe does not want Mnangagwa to succeed him, most probably because he doesn’t trust him. I advise the VP to interpret Mugabe’s statement as an insult. How could the Old Man equate Mnangagwa with Mphoko, an upstart and political non-entity who just happened to be there when Mugabe was surfing for a co-vice president to help his die-in-office plot?
Win or War
If you look at things closely, Mphoko can never, and must never, be considered Mnangagwa’s equal. He was hardly known in Zanu (PF), and some say he didn’t even hold a cell position in the party. So he didn’t have anywhere near as much presence or following as Mnangagwa, a man who sacrificed his soul to ensure victory for Mugabe in 2008 when the party leader was sinking by devising one of the most infamous terror campaigns this country has ever seen.
That is when he adopted the June 27 Win or War! campaign that resulted in hundreds of deaths of opposition supporters. Thousands were beaten, burnt, raped and displaced. The Crocodile was Mugabe’s chief election agent. He held the same position in the 2013 elections when Mugabe was handed the biggest “victory†in all his long life.
Those are awesome achievements that Mphoko will take a century to score, so he can’t be at the same level as Mnangagwa.
But Mugabe must be taking a cue from his feisty wife, Grace. She has evidently drifted away from Mnangagwa, who was just too glad to use her in his schemes against Mujuru last year. Grace has no respect for the Crocodile. That is why she basks in the reality that he takes notes from her, and is just too ready to share that humiliating fact with all and sundry. She is also not comfortable with him – knowing that he was grovelling at her merely to ensure that his presidential ambitions materialise.
Rapport has gone
Late last year, we heard that she was working with Mnangagwa to ensure that Mugabe retired on his 91st birthday, but that rapport is gone now.
To make things worse for the Crocodile, the combative young wolves that hunted Mujuru in his pack have left him. Jonathan Moyo fired the first salvo when he used the public media to dispel the thinking that Mnangagwa was Mugabe’s anointed successor. The former information minister’s sidekick, Saviour Kasukuwere, also does not see any worth in tagging along with Mnangagwa. The two are reportedly embroiled in a bitter under-the-table fight. The same applies to Oppah Muchinguri, who belonged to the close clique of anti-Mujuru schemers. She is not sharing coffee with the Crocodile.
What this means when all is said and done is that Mnangagwa is once again poised to fail in his presidential ambitions. His deck of cards is crumbling. The narrative is just too familiar. He failed in 2004 when he looked certain to land the VP’s post after amassing the loyalty of six out of the 10 Zanu (PF) provincial chairpersons.
Earlier, he had failed in landing the post of national chair. Now he is a lame VP who is going nowhere fast.
– To comment on this article, please contact majonitt@gmail.com
I agree that we are all free to express our own opinions,however i would like to remind the writer that at list you have acknowledged Mnangagwa´s nickname ,the Krokodile.
After the media made revelations that so and so belonged to G4 and G40,it is normal that the mentioned individuals would not like to be seen moving around together lest they might be labelled to be scheming against the party.The Krokodile,as you have already mentioned,is very patient,prefers to stay below the radar and quietly and carefully monitors the situation,letting the naive make rushed decisions and conclusions.Remember, by lying still for a long time by the riverbed, many naive animals coming to drink water have mistaken the Krokodile for a dried log.
The Krokodile is a great mathematician,scientist,engineer all rolled into one.
The Krokodile might appear to be down at themoment, but it is not out.
That is very true except that now the croco is no longer hunting harmless animals but hunter hunting for crocos!
Tawanda, matsotsi
haagerani!
When President Mugabe had Mai Mujuru kicked out of the party by throwing away the party’s constitution and using the good old fashion back stabbing that Brutus and others demonstrated on one Gaius Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC showed and proved that is works. Having learnt from the master the art of back-stabbing everyone in the party is carrying a dagga with murder most foul on their minds. If Mugabe or Mnangagwa thought the back stabbing will stop as soon as Mai Mujuru and her supporters are purged, the two are now realizing they were wrong.
Now that the national economy is in total meltdown everyone in Zanu PF knows they only chance of escaping abject poverty is by being one of the few still standing when the blood thirst debauchery is done. Kill or be killed and this is not the time faint at the sight of blood!
Zanu PF has always been a party of murderous thugs and it is to be expected that the party should end in a mindless blood letting orgy!