Succession is far from over, Grace may not be the choice: Experts
The race to succeed President Robert Mugabe is still open and the media, as well as the general public, should not make the mistake of assuming that the matter has been settled or is a foregone conclusion. These are the views of some experts who believe that while the firing of former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was significant, it does not make the issue of succession any clearer. Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s aide for more than 40 years and cabinet minister since 1980 was fired on Monday after being accused of “disloyalty, disrespect, deceitfulness and unreliability” among other charges. Mnangagwa’s allies and supporters are also facing a purge after various provinces have recommended the expulsion of officials linked to Mnangagwa’s Team Lacoste Faction
Constitutional law expert Alex Magaisa said:
I think that the Zimbabwean succession race has been unpredictable. It’s easy for us to look with the benefit of hindsight and say it all falls into place, but the reality is when [former vice-president] Joice Mujuru was at the top, we all thought she was destined for the presidency. When Emmerson Mnangagwa took over many of us thought he was the one. Now we have Grace, I don’t think we should fall into the same trap as thinking it is all locked up.
Ibbo Mandaza added:
I don’t think it will be Grace. I think the media are misreading. If Grace wanted to be president, she would not have said to Mugabe at the Chinhoyi rally [in late July], and I quote: “Tell us which horse to back” – i.e., choose the successor to be, and we will run with it. She wasn’t saying put me there. She was saying identify a successor and we, including myself as first lady, will back that person to the hilt.
More: Institute for Security Studies
