KWEKWE — Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs Emmerson Mnangagwa has been touted the legitimate heir-apparent to replace 88-year-old party first secretary President Robert Mugabe, by a central committee member.
The former ruling party central committee member Victor Matemadanda told party supporters at Chimwaoga Primary school on Friday during the handover of Blair toilets constructed by Mnangagwa using the Constituency Development Fund allocations the Defence minister was “the face of Zimbabwe”.
“He is the face of Zimbabwe, because he faced a death penalty during the liberation struggle, but never sold out. He continued to sacrifice his life for a sovereign Zimbabwe,” he said.
Acting on behalf of Mnangagwa who had failed to attend the ceremony, Matemadanda, a former secretary of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War veterans Association, said in Zanu PF, Mnangagwa was only second to Mugabe in the line of command saying others joined the struggle at the later stages.
“He was the second person after President Mugabe to join the liberation struggle; the rest of us and others in the party leadership followed later and served under his command,” he said.
Mnangagwa has in the past said he has no ambitions to lead the country. As the battle to succeed Mugabe continues in Zanu PF two distinct factions have emerged, one led by the late General Solomon Mujuru’s widow Vice-President Joice Mujuru and the other by Mnangagwa.
In the Midlands Province those aligned to the Mujuru faction have openly been hounded out of leadership positions while others have only survived through Mugabe’s benevolence.
Provincial chairman Jason Machaya and national spokesperson Rugare Gumbo are some of the top party officials haunted by factionalism.
