ZIMBABWE — The Mujuru faction met at the weekend to plot the ouster of Robert Mugabe from Zanu (PF), through a vote of no confidence at an emergency meeting, or alternatively at the party's national conference in December, ZimDaily has learnt.

 

We have it on good authority that the faction has started garnering support for this motion, which was reportedly suggested at the party's politburo meeting held last week.

 

Several senior members of Zanu (PF) either stayed away or walked out of the party's central committee meeting held last Wednesday in Harare, to mark the beginning of yet another split in the beleaguered party, now assailed by serious divisions and antagonism following the recently concluded power-sharing deal with the MDC.

Zimdaily can reveal that prior to and after the Wednesday central committee meeting, at which party leader, Robert Matibili Mugabe was under immense pressure to explain the political deal, the camp of the Mujurus has been holding deliberations over the current situation and mulling another split.

The faction, led by Retired army General Solomon Mujuru, is reportedly unhappy with the deal as well as what a senior member of that faction described as "the gradual elbowing out of positions of our members by Mugabe and his surrogates".

ZimDaily obtained exclusive information from a member of the Mujuru faction, that they have been considering walking away from Mugabe and been faced with two options.

 

The first option, the source-whose residence in one of the posh suburbs of Harare is being used as one of the venues for the faction's meetings-said, is publicly aligning themselves to the faction of Simba Makoni, which was formed early this year.

 

The other option the dissatisfied Mujuru faction is establishing another faction, and  claim to be the real Zanu (PF).

"We are totally unhappy and have agreed we should take some action," the senior member from the Mujuru faction said. "Like in the past, the major problem has been lack of enough courage and commitment to take the first steps and move out or cause a rebellion but the party is as bad as split as we speak now.

 

For example the majority of members who are not happy with Mugabe or this deal stayed away from the Wednesday central committee meeting."

ZimDaily can reveal that senior members of the Mujuru faction including former Mashonaland East Governor, Ray Kaukonde and former Manicaland Governor, Tinaye Chigudu have lately been staying away from meetings since they were elbowed out by Mugabe recently.

The seemingly insidious factional fighting in Zanu (PF) has been going on for a long time and especially formented by Mugabe's obstinate refusal to pave way for debate on his succession.

 

Our sources say the Mujuru faction has become very antagonistic accusing Mugabe of working with former Rural Housing minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and probably paving the way for him to take over the party leadership.

However, our investigations have shown that although the factionalism battles have been overshadowed by serious controversy over the political settlement Mugabe signed with MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara last week Monday.

 

 

"You will be shocked to hear that only Mugabe and his closest allies -  Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche who were the team on the talks as well as Mnangagwa knew exactly what they were negotiating and agreeing with the MDC. The rest of the party leadership was just being promised that we would get a good deal," a senior official said.

 

"However, it has emerged that the deal is unacceptable to some in the party leadership who see this as a way of paving way for Tsvangirai and MDC to eventually push Zanu (PF) out of power. Indeed, to some Mugabe has sold out to MDC yet he has been refusing to have a proper succession plan within the party. That is why some of the leaders stayed away from the meeting or left before it had finished.

Zanu (PF)'s secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa denied that some leaders boycotted the meeting. But Mugabe appeared on national television lamenting the signing of the deal and seemingly apologising to his party members, describing the deal as "humiliation".

 

He openly admitted that the former ruling party had lost to the MDC in the March harmonised elections and was therefore under pressure to negotiate for a survival plan.

 

 

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