Nehanda Radio publishes the final installment, of the three part Mugabe succession race. We take a brief look at a dark horse candidate, who might end up becoming potentially the next President should things fall apart and there is no decisive frontrunner between Vice-President Joice Mujuru and her chief rival Defence minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Pleasant reading!
By Itai Mushekwe
State security minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, may just surprise all of us and become president, as he is largely viewed as a compromise candidate, who President Robert Mugabe is said to appreciate his soberness at not being obsessed with the succession politics, making him the new Zanu PF powerbroker or kingmaker we are told.
Sekeramayi, like Mnangagwa has the incredible support of the military after having jelled well with the securocrats, during his reign as minister of defence in 2001 following the death of his predecessor Moven Mahachi, who perished in a road accident in the now volatile turf of Manicaland.
Mugabe’s succession it seems, will be very much influenced by the power outcome of the battle for Manicaland province, where a fierce plot to kick out Zanu PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa out of the party has reached a high.
Mutasa and Sekeramayi hail from provinces, which are a stone’s throw away from each other. The latter is considered, to be the godfather of Mashonaland East.
Manicaland on the one hand, is known to be a hotbed of the liberation struggle after Mugabe and the late Edgar Tekere, sought the assistance of chief Rekai Tangwena to cross into Mozambique for the struggle.
Now defence minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is reported to be anxious to retain control of the province following the suspension of Mike Madiro, the Zanu PF Manicaland provincial chairman, by elements aligned to Vice President Joice Mujuru, through Mutasa.
Mutasa is the most senior Zanu PF politician in Manicaland.
Nehanda Radio can reveal that Mutasa, who wanted to be vice president has already spoken to Mugabe about the plot to oust him, and he was told to “maintain his cool”, while his foes are building up a case against him to be either expelled or demoted for causing the destruction of Zanu PF’s catchment area in the province.
Mutasa, although largely expected to survive the brawl, will be left weakened as Madiro is reportedly about to be reinstated thus dealing the Mujuru faction another blow below the belt, party insiders said.
We also have it on good account, that Sekeramayi, is prepared to throw his weight behind Mnangagwa, and will only make himself available for selection to replace Mugabe, should the defence minister fail to torpedo Mujuru.
“Sekeramayi has all along been Plan B of the security chiefs,” sources said.
“The military is the main pillar of power in our country, that is why vice president Mujuru seemed to be cruising to the top office, owing to the late husband’s complex military links crafted when he became the first commander of our forces in 1980. Anyone who has the support of army structures, can be assured of victory whether by covert or overt means.”
COSLEG mystery
Further briefings, also bring to light revelations that Sekeramayi is an inner circle confidant of Zimbabwe’s own shadowy military industrial complex. The minister alongside Mnangagwa are both shareholders of COSLEG, a powerful mining company jointly owned by the military top brass and DRC leader, Joseph Kabila.
According to a United Nations (UN) report compiled in 2002, Sekeramayi and Mnangagwa together with senior security chiefs are implicated as belonging to an “elite network” alleged to have involved Zimbabwe in the costly Congo war that bled the treasury of more than US$200 million, for personal enrichment and covert military business expansions.
Mnangagwa key strategist
“The key strategist for the Zimbabwean branch of the elite network is the Speaker of the Parliament and former head of Zimbabwe Intelligence, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
“Mr. Mnangagwa has won strong support from senior military and intelligence officers for an aggressive policy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” states the UN report.
“His key ally is a Commander of ZDF (Zimbabwe Defense Force) and Executive Chairman of COSLEG, General Vitalis Musunga Gava Zvinavashe. [COSLEG is a natural resource exploitation firm largely owned by the family of Joseph Kabila and the Zimbabwe military.
“Joseph Kabila succeeded his father Laurent as president of the DRC after the elder’s assassination in 2001.] The General and his family have been involved in diamond trading and supply contracts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“A long-time ally of President Mugabe, Air Marshal Perence Shiri, has been involved in military procurement and organizing air support for the pro-Kinshasa armed groups fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is also part of the inner circle of ZDF diamond traders who have turned Harare into a significant illicit diamond-trading center.”
Sekeramayi the coordinator
“Other prominent Zimbabwean members of the network include Brigadier General Sibusiso Busi Moyo, who is Director General of COSLEG. Brigadier Moyo advised both Tremalt and Oryx Natural Resources, which represented covert Zimbabwean military financial interests in negotiations with State mining companies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the report points out.
“Air Commodore Mike Tichafa Karakadzai is Deputy Secretary of COSLEG, directing policy and procurement. He played a key role in arranging the Tremalt cobalt and copper deal. Colonel Simpson Sikhulile Nyathi is Director of defence policy for COSLEG.
The Minister of Defence and former Security Minister, Sidney Sekeramayi, coordinates with the military leadership and is a shareholder in COSLEG.
The UN Panel has a copy of a letter from Mr. Sekeramayi thanking the Chief Executive of Oryx Natural Resources, Thamer Bin Said Ahmed Al-Shanfari, for his material and moral support during the parliamentary elections of 2000. Such contributions violate Zimbabwean law.”
Growing Mugabe voice
Sekeramayi is also now a burgeoning influence as a trusted Mugabe voice, our informers say, as demonstrated two months ago, when the intelligence minister, who is also Zanu PF secretary for national security called for massive support in Mugabe’s re-election campaign while speaking at the burial of Peter Nyakuba, a party cadre who was declared a liberation hero and got a state sponsored funeral in Goromonzi.
“Zanu-PF is the only party that has the people’s interests at heart,” said Sekeramayi.
“The weapon to secure our future is our vote and all party cadres should go out and vote for President Mugabe for Zimbabwe’s future. There are people who are waiting to blame Zanu-PF for violence especially when they know that we are headed towards an election victory. We need to campaign peacefully so that we leave our detractors in no doubt when we win the elections.”
EU rebuff
To show his surging rise, Sekeramayi even castigated the European Union (EU), recently for maintaining targeted sanctions on Mugabe and senior service chiefs, saying the move is bent on fomenting conflict and disunity in Zanu PF. Under normal circumstances, the ministry of foreign affairs should respond on the matter.
Faction of operatives
Although Sekeramayi has no visible and formal faction inside Zanu PF, we were told the following, all former intelligence operatives sympathise with him from the closet: Nicholas Goche (Cabinet minister, credited with nailing former finance minister Kuruneri and businessman James Makamba); Kembo Mohadi (home affairs for over 10 years); Obert Mpofu (Spies on fellow Zanu PF ministers); Saviour Kasukuwere (started off as a junior CIO operative in Manicaland).
It is now clear that, whatever the outcome of Mugabe’s succession, Sekeramayi as a newly established power broker, has a big influence on where the political pendulum tilts.
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