Although the United States has been pressing for change in Zimbabwe, introducing sanctions to help effect this in 2003, it has been worried for some time about President Robert Mugabe’s possible successor, because there are some “bad apples” among the potential successors.
This was expressed by former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnny Carson who stated that former Vice-President Joice Mujuru was an exception as she recognised the need for change.
He did not name the bad apples.
Mujuru was expelled from the party five years later ostensibly because she was trying to oust Mugabe but she was considered too pro-West and was often accused of working together with opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
The departure of Mujuru left Emmerson Mnangagwa as the most probable successor but he is facing stiff opposition from Young Turks under the G40 whose prominent proponents are national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere and Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo.
Both are not likely to challenge Mnangagwa but it is not clear who they are fronting for though they claim to be loyal to no one else but Mugabe himself.
There were some reports that they were backing the First Lady Grace Mugabe but she claimed at one time she did not have any political ambitions to become president, but only last week she urged Mugabe to name a successor sparking heated debate that Mugabe was not Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe was not Mugabe.
Even the opposition joined in arguing that this was not a chieftainship and Zimbabwe did not want a Mugabe dynasty.
The First Lady, however, insisted that Mugabe had the final word on who would take over from him and publicly told Mugabe’s deputies, Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko that they served at the pleasure of Mugabe.
Joice Mujuru has publicly stated that Mugabe is the real leader of G40 and not his wife.
Below are the first 560 Wikileaks cables on Mugabe- only 65 left.
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