(Last Updated on November 22, 2022 by ZIMDAILY EDITOR)
HARARE – The open letter of apology by self-exiled former ministers Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao – addressed to Zanu-PF members – shows that the two politicians may be preparing for life after Emmerson Mnangagwa in the party, analysts have said.
The former ruling party bigwigs this week penned a letter to “comrades in the party”, apologising for using the #ZanuPfMustGo hashtag.
Moyo, who had been a critic of Mnangagwa since 2017 while showing support for Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa, changed his stance this year – criticising the opposition leader over the CCC’s lack of party structures. There is speculation that the two ex-ministers want to bounce back in Zanu-PF.
Political analysts say Moyo and Zhuwao are smoking the peace pipe with party members in order to disassociate themselves from Mnangagwa’s regime should he leave power.
“If you look at the letter by Moyo and Zhuwao, it was directed to supporters and not Mnangagwa, hence they were not apologising to him. The tradition is that when Zanu-PF people come back, they do so through the party.
“So, they are apologising to the party members so they can say that they had problems with certain elements within the party, and not the party itself. It is a post-Mnangagwa re-alignment scheme.
“Zanu-PF is represented by the president and not party members. So, this is also a post-Mnangagwa realignment plot. Mnangagwa is entering his second term as provided by the national constitution. So, the projection is that they must have a life after Mnangagwa in Zanu-PF,” said Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya, a political analyst.
Ruhanya said the return of disaffected political heavyweights could also signal an attempt by the military to reunite the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.