Bob still in control

Talk about Mugabe’s exit plan and how the deal went sour continues, but apparently, the President who turned 79 this month is still very much in control. Whispers say though the foreign media claims that he is now giving in to the business sector, because the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), the body that represents business is now led by Dairibord chief executive Anthony Mandiwanza, whom he is reportedly related to by marriage, Mandiwanza and his executive were actually turned away from State House when they first went to present their rescue plan.

The old man is said to have told the delegation to go and present their proposals to “their president”, allegedly saying that as far as he was concerned since his people had no control over the economy it was not their economy that was collapsing, so basically he had nothing to lose.

The whispers say the business sector had to resort to the old guards, former Reserve Bank governor Kombo Moyana, Anglo American chief Godfrey Gomwe and former CZI president Kumbirai Katsande to intervene. And they persuaded Mugabe to meet the business delegation.

Documents that The Insider has seem to indicate that the proposals submitted to government by the business sector were cobbled together by Moyana.

And though keeping a low profile, Gomwe seems to be playing a significant role in getting the economy back on track. His company has just bailed out the government by offering it US$35 million to buy fuel. It is of course saying it gave the money to a consortium of exporters – Mimosa Platinum Mines, Makwiro Platinum Mines, ZIMASCO, Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, Ariston Holdings, Bindura Nickel Corporation and Zimbabwe Alloys. This was a currency swap which the consortium received Zimbabwe dollars in exchange for US dollars generated by export activity.

Observers say this is just playing around with words. At the end of the day the two mean the same thing. Whatever the case it seems the foreign media is obsessed with linking anyone thriving in these troubled times with Mugabe or his wife.

Phillip Chiyangwa is always described as Mugabe’s village boy. Savious Kasukuwere is in the inner circles of the young Turks closely linked to Mugabe. Mandiwanza has been dragged into the fray. And now Supa Mandiwanzira is also reported to be related to Grace Mugabe.

Some people are questioning why his company, Mighty Movies, should be allowed to do business with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, when he is also allegedly Jonathan Moyo’s man.

Apparently the grapevine says the stories are being peddled by scribes who want Supa’s deal with SABC scuttled so that they can write for SABC themselves. God and his people!

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