Mugabe fumes at bid to block First Lady in party polls
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace (second left), are welcomed by South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, as they arrive to attend the South African presidential inauguration at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, South Africa, on May 23, 2014. PHOTO | AFP
HARARE
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has reacted angrily to attempts by some officials in his ruling Zanu-PF party who are refusing to back his wife’s elevation.
The First Lady, Grace, was nominated last month to head Zanu-PF’s women’s league and this would mean her elevation to the party’s top decision-making body — the politburo.
President Mugabe, on arrival from China on Sunday, said he had been told that one of his nephews was told by a senior official from Zanu-PF in Harare province to find "a political home" for the First Lady.
Officials opposed to the 49-year-old president’s wife in Harare say she is not in the party’s structures.
“We are all in Harare, it is not your city alone, we all belong to Harare,” he told party officials who met him at Harare International Airport.
“I am saying so because I heard someone sending my nephew to go and tell Mai Mugabe to leave Harare,” he added.
'EMPEROR OF HARARE'
“I want to hear why she should leave Harare, going where? I would want to know where the emperor of Harare got his powers from.”
Zanu-PF is divided into factions that are reportedly fighting to position themselves in the event that President Mugabe — in power since 1980 — leaves office.
His wife’s elevation is seen in some quarters as a way of trying to curtail the rise of a faction linked to Vice President Joice Mujuru.
President Mugabe last month railed against party officials, accusing them of using money to influence elections during Zanu-PF's women and youth leagues conferences.
On Sunday, he said he would convene an urgent meeting of the politburo to deal with the issues.
Hundreds of Zanu-PF youths had met the 90-year-old leader at the airport to protest the outcome of their recent elective conference.
“We know the youths are not being handled well, we can’t discuss it here,” President Mugabe said.
“This week we must have a meeting to examine what happened during our two conferences (youth and women). We want to see whether we are still together or not.”
Zanu-PF will hold an elective conference in December where only President Mugabe could remain unchallenged.
