Zanu PF Central Committee to Meet, 'Seal' VP Mujuru's Fate

  • Blessing  Zulu

FILE: Joice Mujuru leaves the magistrates courts in Harare, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, on the last day of the long awaited inquest hearing into the mysterious death of her husband Zimbabwe's former army General Solomon Mujuru.

The Zanu-PF Central Committee is expected to meet early next week to deliberate on the decision by the Politburo to amend the party’s constitution.

If adopted, this will complete the purging of Vice President Joice Mujuru and her allies from key party organs such as the Central Committee and the Politburo.

But some legal experts are arguing that the proposed amendments are a clear violation of the Zanu-PF constitution.

The proposed amendments will see the president of the party being given powers to appoint his two vice presidents and the party national chairman.

Mrs. Mujuru’s rival faction, allegedly led by Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and has the strong backing of First Lady Grace Mugabe, is pushing for the amendments alleging that concentrating power in the president will de-escalate tensions caused by serious factional fights in the party.

Mrs. Mujuru and Mnangagwa are alleged to be fighting to succeed 90-year old President Robert Mugabe, who still insists he is fit to rule for years to come.

Harare lawyer Terrence Hussein, who has represented Mr. Mugabe on several occassions, says the president is not breaking the party’s constitution.

But Kent University law lecturer, Doctor Alex Magaisa, said the Zanu-PF constitution is being violated.