The ManicaPost
Bevan Musoko Post Correspondent—-
Former Vice President and now Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) leader, Dr Joice Mujuru recently claimed that President Robert Mugabe ‘knows’ what happened to her late estranged husband, retired General Solomon Mujuru.Dr Mujuru made the claims during an interview with a South African television station on 7 December 2016. Mujuru made a link between Gen Mujuru’s death in 2011 and her expulsion from ZANU PF in 2014, claiming that the death of her husband had paved the way for her expulsion from the ruling party.
The unfortunate deduction from the foregoing claims is that some people, who are known to President Mugabe or were acting under his orders, allegedly killed General Mujuru as a precursor to the expulsion of Dr Mujuru from both ZANU PF and Government.
From the foregoing, a picture is created that Dr Mujuru was a ZANU PF heavyweight who could only be disciplined by the ruling party through and after the death of her estranged husband. An impression is also created that both the Mujurus were such an influential pair that commanded significant support among and within ZANU PF structures.
Nothing could be further from the truth. For the record, the death of General Mujuru was subject of a judicial inquest. The inquest concluded that the General died from a fire that was started by a candle. The Mujuru family was represented by Mr. Takor Kewada of Scanlen and Holderness during the inquest. General Mujuru was declared a National Hero and his remains are lying at the sacred shrine.
During the period of the inquest, Dr Mujuru was still the Vice President of Zimbabwe. It is presumably correct that she had the executive authority and means to order a thorough investigation into the death of her husband.
She, together with several members of her family, attended the inquest sessions where several witnesses gave evidence into the circumstances of the General’s death. If the former VP had any evidence on which she is basing her claims now, she should have submitted such evidence during the inquest. She was deeply embedded in the system then.
For her to now claim that President Mugabe could be aware of the circumstances of her husband’s death appears to be arising from the political fallout between the two. For the record, Dr Mujuru was accused in 2014 of leading a cabal within ZANU PF that was plotting to wrestle power from President Mugabe through unconstitutional means.
She and several of her putchists were summarily dismissed from ZANU PF ahead of the party’s Congress in December 2014. She proceeded to form her party, the Zimbabwe People First. She has vowed to remove President Mugabe from Office during the 2018 elections.
Against this background, can it not be assumed that the claim by Dr Mujuru that ‘they murdered my Rex’ is a well calculated political ruse meant to ride on the unfortunate death of the popular General for Dr Mujuru’s political ambition. What knew evidence has arisen to warrant the discrediting of the judicial inquest in which the Mujuru family participated in? What evidence does Dr Mujuru have that informs her claim that President Mugabe is aware of how General Mujuru died? Why was that evidence not presented before the inquest?
Could it be that Dr Mujuru had political and or business interests to protect at the time of Gen Mujuru’s death that she chose to protect those interests ahead of naming the killers of her husband? Is it that those interests are now under threat that she has chosen to ‘speak’ on the issue.
The death of political figures generally generates a lot of interest. This is more so if the figures led ‘controversial’ lives. For Dr Mujuru to claim that General Mujuru was murdered without present an iota of evidence is to seek to gain political mileage and sympathy from an unfortunate event. This is against the African philosophy which Mai Mujuru so fondly claims to be schooled in. It would be the greatest insult to the memory and legacy of the late General for his death to be dragged into political mudslinging matches by ambitious but unpopular politicians.
To some of us the General did not pose any threat to President Mugabe. We did not know of any Presidential ambitions by the late General. In fact it was Dr Mujuru who confided that she had received her political mentoring from President Mugabe to the extent that were it not for him, she would have been a political nonentity. She was appointed a Cabinet Minister when she was barely literate in 1980.
For her to now claim that President Mugabe would resort to killing her estranged husband to deal with her political threat to him is surely the height of political folly.
Dr Mujuru is best advised to concentrate her energies on building what is left of her political project.
She needs to focus on developing policies that resonate with the generality of Zimbabweans than to seek to build a career on speculative accusations.
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