Charamba wants to be Information Minister

By Itai Mushekwe

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe’s official spokesman, George Charamba, better known for fomenting political vitriol in the Government of National Unity (GNU), is desperately working behind closed doors, begging to become the next minister of information in a new cabinet dispensation expected after this year’s presidential elections, it has emerged.

Senior staff working at the information ministry, this week made the startling disclosure to Nehanda Radio, maintaining that Charamba, who also doubles as permanent secretary under minister Webster Shamu, is leaving no stone unturned in promoting himself with the “high powers”.

There are reports Mugabe will leave office for good a few months later, should he win the coming elections, which are his last stand for the office of President. This development, our sources say has sent shivers running down the spine of the press secretary, leading him to hunt after new political fortunes.

Charamba, a trained Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative, is said to have approached military bosses, now believed to be secretly managing Mugabe’s succession and Zimbabwe’s political power woes, to muscle in his candidature basing his bid on the thirteen years experience he has acquired as Mugabe’s press secretary since the year 2000.

Now or never

“Charamba feels his time to position himself for minister after numerous failed attempts, is now or never,” an official in the ministry working close to the government wordsmith said.

“A lot is at stake in this presidential election, because most senior state officials are pondering on how best to secure their future and livelihoods after Mugabe.

“Charamba has courted the help of defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander Constantine Chiwenga, and it seems he has been given positive feedback, considering the way he has been acting in office lately.

“He is always having a broad smile on his face,suggesting that he knows something, which all of us have no idea about.”

Further information filtering through, in the past few days, also indicates that Charamba is reportedly aiming for his dream ministerial post, under the alleged backing of Zanu PF’s Mnangagwa faction which is fighting with that of Vice President Joice Mujuru to replace Mugabe.

To counter Charamba’s moves, the Mujuru faction is plotting a barricade against his ambitions, through presidential affairs minister, Didymus Mutasa who instead is tipping journalist-turned businessman, Supa Mandiwanzira to fill such a strategic cabinet position, sources said.

However both Charamba and Mandiwanzira, appear to lack enough political clout from within Zanu PF, as they are nowhere near the party’s influential organs, such as the Politiburo or Central Committee.

Mutasa is personally pushing for Mandiwanzira, to become the new Member of Parliament for Nyanga South, in Manicaland by battling the incumbent legislator, Willard Chimbetete of the MDC.

Ironically Mandiwanzira is related to Mugabe, after marrying into the first lady’s family, while Charamba has been a close information confidant of the veteran leader, globe trotting the world with him for the past decade, as an inner official of his presidential party.

The General’s friend

Charamba has literally taken to an all out silent war, to achieve his political goal of becoming the country’s information czar, by befriending ZDF boss Chiwenga, whom like he does for Mugabe, has began drafting and writing his military speeches.

Local media reports have since linked him to an army ploy, to manage Mugabe and pending elections through parallel structures, that have now usurped powers to run day to day government business.

Charamba has not denied working with Chiwenga, admitting he has a working relationship with him and other generals after being spotted frequenting Chiwenga’s office at Defence House, which is next door to the President’s office.

“I have no apologies to make about being at Defence House, or at the Police Headquarters or the army’s KG6 , these are the structures I work for,” Charamba has been quoted as saying.

“Do I have a relationship with the generals? Yes I do have a working relationship with the generals as the press person of the president. If Chiwenga has an important speech, he sometimes asks me to work with his speech writers or asks me to go through his draft speech, so do other ministers. I have several ministers that come to me and they ask me to draft their speeches.”

Backdoor entry

Since Charamba is not contesting for any seat in the coming parliamentary elections, therefore making it complicated for him to be appointed a cabinet minister, an aggressive lobby is in motion behind the curtains for Mugabe to consider appointing him as a non-constituency senator, our sources add.

Under the country’s laws, one can only be appointed as a cabinet minister, if they sit in parliament.

“It might appear a daunting task for Charamba’s rise to the blind, but all it takes is for Mugabe to appoint him as a non-constituency senator, and that is enough to launch his cherished political career as a government minister.

“The president has nothing to lose, and he can do it as a way of rewarding his loyal spokesman, who has even escaped the chop for his role in the 2004 Tsholotsho coup against Mujuru’s ascendancy to VP.”

Mugabe appointed 11 senators on 28 August 2008. Among the senators are 3 non-constituency senators, and these are: The two late Vice Presidents, Joseph Msika and John Nkomo. Current justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa is the third appointed senator, who received a life-line from Mugabe following his defeat in the 2008 parliamentary polls.

Mnangagwa advocate

Potentially strengthening Charamba’s shot at cabinet is none other than Mnangagwa. Charamba is a known ally of the defence minister, who was in the know about the foiled Dinyane High School meeting, disguised as a prize giving ceremony in Tsholotsho in 2004.

The press secretary met Mnangagwa, then Speaker of Parliament, at his offices through the clerk of parliament. Charamba is alleged to have hired a plane for the attempted Tsholotsho coup against Mujuru, and went on to draft Mnangagwa’s speech delivered on his behalf by Chinamasa at the meeting.

“It is common cause among those who know what happened that Charamba, Mugabe’s press secretary, actually drafted Emmerson Mnangagwa’s speech that was delivered by Chinamasa at Dinyane School on November 18, 2004,” Charamba’s former boss Jonathan Moyo wrote with anger in a December 2005 newspaper article, after being dismissed from government, as one of the masterminds of the Tsholotsho saga.

“I still have the original copy of Charamba’s draft speech with his handwritten cover note attached!” he wrote.

Closet journalist

Apart from briefing Mugabe with media reports on his presidency and criticism elsewhere, Charamba also finds time from his busy schedule to practise journalism, as he is thought to be involved in writing and handling sensitive stories involving the president and state secrets, in a way that national security and Zanu PF policy pronouncements are not compromised, through the use of false bylines in the state media machinery.

Ministry of information insiders, also say Mugabe’s spokesman is always editing the Herald from Munhumutapa Building, whenever intricate politics is at play. Political editors at the paper cannot allow the broadsheet, to go to bed before Charamba gives them a greenlight.

The civil servant is also believed, to be the mask behind, the Nathaniel Manheru column published every Saturday, where he literally gets to shred his foes and demean the opposition in particular Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

First family fire-fighter

Charamba’s spin-doctor antics extend to performing PR for the first family.

In an embarrassing incident in 2007, where Grace Mugabe was barred from entering the home of the late first First Lady, Sally Mugabe’s home in Ghana where Mugabe was paying a courtesy call, the press secretary came to the rescue telling this reporter, that there was nothing to write home about the incident.

“There was a small misunderstanding between the presidential delegation and some family members of the late First Lady.” said Charamba. ” You must understand that the president is a married man and what happened is a fairly normal tension in an African marriage.”

While Mugabe held talks with Sally’s relatives, including her mother Mavis Hayfron, The First Lady was prevented from entering the home and made to wait in the vehicle until Mugabe completed his visit.