FIRST Lady Grace Mugabe and War Veterans minister Chris Mutsvangwa could be heading for a nasty showdown after they last week issued conflicting statements regarding the role of the group G40 in the Zanu PF succession matrix, analysts have warned.
BY STAFF REPORTERS
The G40, also known as Young Turks, are believed to backing Grace and are opposed to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding President Robert Mugabe.
The group, which is often credited with the fall of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru, is said to include Zanu PF national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo and Mugabe’s nephew, Indigenisation minister Patrick Zhuwao, among others.
Last Thursday, Grace paraded two of the G40 members at her rally in Chimanimani, describing them as the vanguard of the ruling Zanu PF party.
Zhuwao and Kasukuwere were some of the Cabinet ministers at Grace’s Manicaland rally.
On the other hand, Mutsvangwa in an interview with South African television channel ANN7TV was blasting the G40 describing them as “lunatics and cronies of diversionists”.
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“Generation 40 is just a nuisance to the party. They are cronies of diversionists coming from power hungry clowns misguided by errant professors from nowhere, who have found their way into the party,” he said.
Mutsvangwa said G40 will be stopped in their tracks by the party’s older generation and war veterans, who have no respect for the Young Turks, he said, are led by an errant professor.
Analysts said the clash between Grace and Mutsvangwa indicated that the party was reaching a breaking point.
“It is not entirely new, but perhaps taking a new dimension, which speaks to polarisation that has reached dizzy heights and is getting out of control at the expense of cohesion,” University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Eldred Masunungure said.
“It is factionalism gone wild and it will go on until the root cause is solved and that is succession.”
Analyst and legal expert, Alex Magaisa said: “This is not just about Mutsvangwa, but what and whom he represents in attacking the G40, which effectively suggests an attack on Grace. If he is saying they are abusing Grace’s name, this could be interpreted as saying Grace is a puppet, who cannot think for herself.
“War veterans are also a fickle lot, and if they sense that support is with Grace, they will abandon Mutsvangwa.”
Another analyst, Blessing Vava said the factional fights were heading for a nasty end, but warned that it would not be easy for the “impatient” G40 to deal with Mnangagwa the way they dealt with Mujuru.
