Robert Mugabe’s Politburo erupts as titans clash




The view of Harare from my room at the Rainbow Towers Hotel. The tall building to right (about 300 m away) is the headquarters of the ruling party, Zanu PF.
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SPARKS flew in an explosive Zanu PF politburo meeting where Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa responded to allegations raised by Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo who accused him of plotting to unseat President Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal.

By Elias Mambo/Wendy Muperi

Moyo on July 19 presented a case in the politburo against Mnangagwa accusing him of scheming to topple Mugabe.

Zanu PF politburo sources revealed there was a tense atmosphere in the politburo on Wednesday where Mnangagwa turned his guns on Moyo, accusing him of being a Western-affiliated mole.

As Mnangagwa was about to present his response, Grace Mugabe tried to block him, raising issues of sub judice.

“When he was about to start his presentation, the First Lady, Grace Mugabe said Mnangagwa should withdraw his court challenge against Moyo if he wants to present his response as it would be sub judice,” a source in the politburo said.

In response, Mnangagwa pointed out that as a lawyer he knew what to say and what not to say during his presentation.

Mnangagwa said he would not comment on allegations he forced former television presenter Godfrey Majonga to jump from the third floor of a Harare building as the matter was sub judice.

The vice-president filed a US$3 million defamation lawsuit against Moyo after he refused to apologise for alleging that he forced Majonga to jump out of a flat.

Mnangagwa had given Moyo seven days to retract the claims, but the latter indicated he was prepared to go to court.
“Before Mnangagwa presented, he played an eight-minute video which showed Zanu PF national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere addressing a rally in Hurungwe in June 2015,” the politburo member said.

“In the video, Kasukuwere details Mnangagwa’s history from the liberation struggle and his loyalty to Mugabe for the past 55 years. Kasukuwere described Mnangagwa as Mugabe’s most trusted person in Zanu PF, saying he is deployed to carry out assignments which others would have failed to,” the source added.

Mnangagwa briefly paused the video and turned to Kasukuwere and asked him if his views have since changed.