Zimbabwe party to retain Mugabe for another term

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe speaks during the closing day of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party national annual conference in Chinhoyi on December 15, 2013. President Mugabe will be retained as leader of his Zanu PF party for the next five years at a congress scheduled for later this year. PHOTO | AFP 

In Summary

• President Mugabe turns 90 on February 21 and his succession has been a hot topic for the past decade.
• President Mugabe and his Zanu PF won last year’s elections overwhelmingly but the country is still isolated by the Western world, which accuses the leadership of human rights violations.

By Kitsepile Nyathi
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Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will be retained as leader of his Zanu PF party for the next five years at a congress scheduled for later this year.

A senior party official said Thursday this is because ‘no small guy can seek to challenge him.”

President Mugabe turns 90 on February 21 and his succession has been a hot topic for the past decade.

But Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said the issue would not be on the agenda at the party’s congress held every five years because the veteran ruler has not indicated that he wants to retire.

He said the party was also likely to retain Vice President Joice Mujuru and elect a second deputy following the death of John Nkomo last year.

TOWERING FIGURE

“There is no one who is going to challenge the president because it is the party’s policy to support the sitting president unless he says he wants to rest,” Mr Gumbo said.

“Again President Mugabe is such a towering figure in the party that no small guy can seek to challenge him.

“I do not see Vice President Joice Mujuru being challenged as well because the president said he was happy with her both in government and in the party.”

Zanu PF held divisive internal elections last December where factions jostling to position themselves for life after President Mugabe’s departure faced-off.

Ms Mujuru and Defence minister Emerson Mnangagwa have vehemently denied that they are leading factions in Zanu PF seeking to take over when the party leader finally decides to retire or die.
President Mugabe has led Zanu PF since Zimbabwe’s liberation war and has been the country’s leader since independence from Britain in 1980.

Mr Gumbo said the party would concentrate on restructuring in the run up to the congress that is usually held in December.

“When we go for congress we try to restructure the party from the cell,” he said.

“In line with that, we are going to have a women’s conference sometime in July followed by a youth conference.

“All these events will be in preparation of the main Congress that will follow later.”

President Mugabe and his Zanu PF won last year’s elections overwhelmingly but the country is still isolated by the Western world, which accuses the leadership of human rights violations.