Kasukuwere still under fire

Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere is still under fire with Masvingo province endorsing his expulsion for the post.

His home province, Mashonaland Central, has already called for his expulsion from the party for fanning factionalism and trying to oust President Robert Mugabe.

Most observers had thought that President Robert Mugabe had doused the fires at the party’s central committee meeting last Friday when he told delegates that demonstrations were not the way to handle grievances within the party.

“We cannot run the party from newspaper headlines or angry placards,” Mugabe said.

“The party runs on rules and procedures. These must now take precedence over all else.”

The provincial endorsements for Kasukuwere to step down are seen as a way of following procedures, something that is likely to rile Mugabe as the country heads for elections within the year 12 months or so.

While Kasukuwere might hang on to power, the pressure from the allegations being levelled against him are likely to weaken the G40 faction which allegedly backed First Lady Grade Mugabe, though she now seems to have abandoned ship.

Two senior officials of the Women’s League, led by the First Lady- her deputy and treasurer- resigned from their posts last week under pressure from demonstrators.

This has led to speculation that Grace Mugabe is eyeing the post of Vice-President, but it is not clear who she intends to replace, as a previous attempt to get Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa backfired.

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