He stayed at his farm in Kwekwe while several other top party officials converged at the service. The day before, Mnangagwa had held an event in the city at Chikumbiro primary school in Mkoba where he officially handed over classroom blocks constructed by his ministry.
Sources in Zanu (PF) said the snub by Mnangagwa exhibited the political rivalry between himself Mujuru, which has been heightened by Zanu (PF)’s selection process of candidates for the next elections.
Sources told The Zimbabwean that their battle to succeed President Robert Mugabe, had been further strained by the fact that Mnangagwa, who was mandated with the legal duty of fine-tuning the primary election guidelines, had come up with rules that disqualify candidates sympathetic to Mujuru.
“The two are not seeing eye-to-eye. Mnangagwa was bitter when the District Coordinating Committees in which he had gained ground were dissolved at the behest of Mujuru. So he is hitting back on the issue of primary election guidelines.
“He chose to stay at his farm just 70Km away in order to avoid Mujuru. No wonder why even some of the party’s MPs in his camp as close as Chiwundura also snubbed the event,” said the source.
Another source said at the time of the memorial, Mujuru was the Acting President and, according to the party’s protocol, all provincial members were supposed to attend.
The DCCs were dissolved last year when Mnangagwa was gaining ground in most of the districts, following complaints that the structures were causing division within the party.
Last week, Mnangagwa also snubbed Mujuru when he stayed away from the VP’s prayer meeting in the city, only to surface at a fundraising dinner dance organised by ChildLine Zimbabwe later the same day.
A few weeks back the two held separate meetings within 10km of each other at the same time in Kwekwe. Mujuru toured fertiliser-manufacturing company, Sable Chemicals, with top Zanu (PF) ministers and party officials, among them Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and national spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, while Mnangagwa had army generals with him, officially opening two classroom blocks at Mbizo High School in Kwekwe.
However, Zanu (PF) protocol rules say junior party members would be expected to cancel or postpone their programmes if they clash with those of the presidium.
Post published in: News