Mugabe fingered in Mujuru death

Written by Khadija Sharife

Inside sources have informed The Africa Report that the death of former Zimbabwe army commander General Solomon Mujuru may have been the product of a political agenda under fire. Some have suggested that the convenient death of the shrewd politician might have been part of the acrimonious battle to succeed longtime leader President Robert Mugabe.

Gen Mujuru, the husband of Zimbabwe’s first Vice President Joice Mujuru, died when a fire gutted his farm house on the outskirts of Harare last month. The VP who was not at home when the accident occurred says she suspects foul play and has demanded a thorough investigation.

Police are yet to conclude investigations into the death and have refused to indicate if the probe has unearthed any evidence that it was an assassination. This has sparked widespread speculation, most of it associating the mysterious death to the factionalism rocking Mugabe’s Zanu PF party where Gen Mujuru was considered a king maker.

Within Zanu -PF, there are two factions: one backed by right-hand man Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Defence Minister, and the Mujuru faction, once directed by Solomon, and fronted by his wife.

Gen Mujuru, who according to our source was the only person with enough power and influence to challenge Mugabe, was rumoured to have confronted the veteran during a Politburo meeting, a week before his death, requesting that the octogenarian president step down before the next elections.

This was supposed to enable Zanu PF to select another, more suitable candidate, to replace him.

“In 2008, shortly after news started filtering in that Mugabe had lost, it was Gen Mujuru and the late army commander, Vitalis Zvinavashe who again went to Mugabe and told him to accept the result and step down.

“Now that Mugabe is facing another election he is sure to lose, the likes of Gen Mujuru remained a constant thorn,” the source said, evoking the underlying reason why Mujuru’s death was imminent.

In 2004, Joice – then a Minister of Water Resource with little influence and power of her own to command a high-level political position within Zanu PF – overtook Mnangagwa and ascended to the position of Vice President.

A planned Zanu PF and MDC coalition?

Joice Mujuru’s history is believed to be intimately intertwined with the undermining of Zimbabwe’s political economy by virtue of demands by war vets.

In 1997, when under the leadership of Chenjerai Hunzvi – a man who called himself Hitler and sufficiently attempted to enact a similar tendency for ‘cleansing’- about 50 000 (independence) war veterans demanded immediate compensation, including $50 000 payout, land and monthly salaries, Zimbabwe’s budget could not legitimately provide for the demands.

Unwilling to wait until the demands could be found, the war veterans decided to take the land. And Mugabe, concerned mainly with his own position, did not want to oppose them. Joice was later to be strategically positioned by Solomon who mobilised party support, representing both Gen Mujuru’s individual ambitions and that of his faction.

Gen Mujuru’s faction, in the meantime, also cultivated warm relations with the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. United States diplomatic cables leaked by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks have actually revealed that the late general held secret talks with Tsvangirai to discuss a possible coalition government.

Plugging the leaks?

“Anathema to Zanu PF, which has clearly defined friends and enemies, the cost of such an alliance would bankrupt Mugabe’s political capital and as a result, the consequences are severe.”

Tsvangirai claimed that Mugabe was thoroughly shocked by the betrayal of high-ranking ZANU-PF officials. “Mugabe comes to me saying, look our people are running to the Americans,” said Tsvangirai. Joice, Gen Mujuru and central bank governor, Gideon Gono, were among those who held secretive meetings with the US.

Three days after Zanu PF’s national congress in late 2009, Joice secretly met with US Ambassador Charles Ray. Joice claimed that ZANU’s ‘young blood’ chiefly referring to herself, was now coming into force, and pleaded for the US to help restore Zimbabwe’s economy.

“While Mujuru is inculcated with Zanu PF ideology, evidenced by her views on sanctions, she and her husband, General Solomon Mujuru, are business people who understand that a friendlier and more stable business environment requires political change.

“She also would like better relations with the U.S., which she views as essential for Zimbabwe’s economic growth. The fact that she was impelled to have a clandestine meeting is reflective of the power of Mugabe and hard-liners and the fear they engender,” said the US official.

This relationship, says our source, led key players to privately speculate that both MDC and Mujuru’s faction were planning a coalition government in the post-Mugabe era – and one that would have been acceptable to the US and other Mugabe enemies.

“Anathema to Zanu PF, which has clearly defined friends and enemies, the cost of such an alliance would bankrupt Mugabe’s political capital and as a result, the consequences are severe.”

Recently, a Zanu PF MP was even allegedly expelled for violating the party constitution by attending the funeral of an MDC official.

Suspicious

The bed in which Gen Mujuru slept, claimed an inside source, was not touched by the fire that allegedly claimed his life. The wide windows close to his access, located at ground level, would have been an obvious exit point. But Gen Mujuru, surprisingly, did not appear to attempt to escape.

Policemen charged with with ensuring the general’s safety and posted some 50 meters from his house, allegedly failed to respond to the fire. When the fire trucks finally arrived, some four hours after the fire was reported, they did not arrive with any water. Inefficient service delivery striking back or political strike at Mugabe’s only party rival? The Africa Report