Politics and Society

Zimbabwe: Mugabe’s ‘here to stay’

Despite his advanced age and the southern African country’s deep economic problems, President Robert Mugabe is not leaving Zimbabwe’s top office, according to his close ally in Zanu PF, Didymus Mutasa

Published

11 years ago

May 13, 2014

Khanyo Olwethu Mjamba

According to a Daily News interview, Mutasa said they wanted to strengthen the 90 year-old leader’s grip on power through criminalising the discussion of Mugabe’s succession or health in the media. He also added that people who fuelled speculation on Mugabe’s health should be punished severely.

“Such news (discussing Mugabe’s succession) will lead us to arrest journalists, vanhu vanonyepa ngavabatwe vachiendeswa kumajeri, (People who lie must be jailed) working on the stories,” said Mutasa, whose party enjoys a two thirds majority in Parliament and can therefore pass such draconian legislations.

Mutasa has, in the past, made it clear that people who are eyeing the top post are wasting their time as, in the event of the president being incapacitated, the vice president Joice Mujuru would take over the reins.

Critics say that the discussions are already a taboo, not only within Zanu PF but within the entire country as Zanu PF cannot image a future without the aged leader, Daily News wrote.

Source: Daily News