‘Mother’ Grace whips wannabes into shape as vultures wait

‘YOU are the icon of Africa; our light and the leader which everyone wants to be around. We are so proud that you are our leader.” These were the words of Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s first vice-president, believed to be the frontrunner to take over from President Robert Mugabe.

Mnangagwa’s praises — preceding Mugabe’s opening address to the 6 000 delegates at the Zanu-PF conference last weekend — set the bar high, as speaker after speaker sought to outdo each other in heaping high-sounding praises on Mugabe. In-between dozing off and conversing with his wife, Grace, Mugabe remained largely slumped in his chair, impassive in the sweltering heat as the praise-singing around him went on.

But Mugabe did use the two-day conference, held in Victoria Falls, to strengthen his political hand. He rebuked factions in his party, blocked attempts at a leadership shake-up and made a lukewarm effort to rally his troops to focus on driving Zimbabwe’s economic revival.

Expertly, through a combination of angry outbursts, threats and overt appeals, Mugabe managed once again to keep his lieutenants on the leash and none dared raise the question to his face of who would succeed him. In the end, Mugabe came out on top as he received a standing ovation and endorsement to stand as Zanu-PF’s presidential candidate for the 2018 election.

At 91, Mugabe boasts a largerthan-life political career that spans more than four decades. During this time, Mugabe has displayed his political dexterity, often having the last laugh against rivals opposed to his long-time rule since independence in April 1980.

The former US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Bruce Wharton, recently described Mugabe as a “lion of Africa”. This description by Washington’s former strongman to Harare delighted Mugabe’s handlers in Zanu-PF as proof of his invincibility. Regionally and on the continent, Mugabe has enjoyed a rise in his political star lately. He is the immediate past chairman of the Southern African Development Community and the current chairman of the AU. The latter position has catapulted him onto the global stage, with Mugabe basking in the glory of rubbing shoulders with world leaders at various global summits. Yet, despite the successes abroad, the veteran ruler faces the biggest test of his political career at home as members of his party jostle to succeed him — a situation that has brought the party to the brink.

Political commentator Khanyile Mlotshwa said: “The more the question of Mugabe’s retirement is postponed, the worse the situation becomes . . . Considering Mugabe’s age, the question of his succession is a race against time. It is a time bomb and it can’t be avoided any longer.”

Tendai Biti, president of the People’s Democratic Party, told the Sunday Times last week: “Mugabe represents the last of the old Stalinist nationalist leaders, who are driven by the insatiable appetite for power. He wants to be a president for life; that is why there is no sign at all of any successor preparing to take over. The man is almost 92 years old and by no stretch of the imagination can we expect him to be in charge. This has been reflected in the decay of the country, where we have become the blackout capital of the world, 91% of the population is unemployed and over 70% of the population lives on less than a $1 per day,” Biti said.

Party members’ ambition to take over from Mugabe has periodically flared up. Those who have challenged Mugabe in the past include the late Edgar Tekere, a Zanu-PF founding member; Margaret Dongo, a war veteran; Dumiso Dabengwa, a liberation struggle stalwart; and Simba Makoni, a former finance minister. Mugabe, much younger at the time and faced only with a challenge from individuals, easily routed his opponents — condemning them as sellouts and lackeys of the West.

Smelling blood — as old age and failing health take their toll on Mugabe — the factions in Zanu-PF have become far more sophisticated in their modus operandi. Support structures are being set up by them from grassroots level, the provincial ranks, and the corridors of power in government and in the military as a vicious war of outmanoeuvring each other erupts.

Mnangagwa, also known as “The Crocodile” among supporters, until recently had been widely tipped to take over from Mugabe. However, a group dubbed Generation 40, composed of young leaders, is working all out to block his ascendancy. The “G40”, as these leaders are commonly referred to, appear to have the ear of the first lady, Grace Mugabe. Whatever shortcomings Mugabe has exhibited, his wife has quickly made up for. Acerbic and garrulous, Grace has kept factional leaders on their toes, constantly warning them to “stop it”. The term has been adopted by her supporters as a warning to any divisive elements in the party.

For her efforts in curbing instability in Zanu-PF, the slogan “Munhu wese kuna Amai”, loosely translated as “Everyone must support Mother”, has fast gained sway. For Mugabe, no longer the young revolutionary, his only option in the face of the brewing succession storm is to back his wife’s growing political ambitions, not because of any political shrewdness she has but because of the sheer need of his own political survival.