Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is expected to play peacemaker at today’s Zanu-PF politburo meeting, which will deal with the recent public spat between some senior party members on the succession issue.
Battle lines have been drawn and verbal attacks launched. The combatants are the G40 faction, understood to be fronting for Muagabe’s wife, Grace, and the Lacoste group, angling for Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Jonathan Moyo, of the G40 faction, traded insults with Mugabe’s spokesman, George Charamba, and with War Veterans Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa.
Moyo last week tweeted in reference to Charamba: “There is a silly Shakespearean wordsmith who thinks politics is about clever words & who sees himself as the system when he’s a factionalist!”
In retaliation, Charamba said: “These are people who think by sheer proximity they can build messages around the first family. They are fools, get it from me, they are big fools.”
