When Zimbabwe’s new Constitution was signed last year, a key article was a ruling that no future president should be allowed to serve more than two consecutive terms in office. This, it was thought, would preclude another 30-year plus virtual autocracy along the lines of the Robert Mugabe stranglehold over power.
“About time!”, Mugabe’s detractors could probably have been heard shouting from the rafters, even if the incumbent built in the condition that he would nevertheless be able to serve a seventh consecutive term if he won the then-forthcoming general election.
The win was inevitable – as, by fair means or foul, they all have been; and Zimbabwe’s only ever president duly embarked on what everyone felt assured would be his final hurrah. Those who oppose Mugabe, both within Zimbabwe and in the international community, probably considered this minor concession a small price to pay to be finally rid of this corrupt despot (their description, not mine). Frankly, most observers would consider that, at 90 years old, Mugabe too probably considered giving up the nations leadership after 34 years largely mired in controversy would be a small price to pay. Now, however, it emerges that a Mugabe-less Zimbabwe could yet be some way off.
It has emerged that Grace Mugabe, Robert Mugabe’s second wife, has been given a prominent role within the country’s ruling party, a move that has fuelled speculation that she is being groomed as her husband’s successor. The 49-year-old was recently appointed secretary of the ruling Zanu PF’s Women’s League, her first step into frontline politics.
With little prior political experience, Mrs Mugabe’s appointment has led to speculation about the creation of a Mugabe dynasty. Mugabe’s oldest surviving child is now 24. BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding argues that Grace’s entry into the political arena could be a clear indication that “here is a man who, after three decades in power, can trust no-one outside his immediate family”.
Grace “will be the next president of Zanu PF when Mugabe goes”, Tendai Biti, MP for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change told the Daily Telegraph, suggesting that this has always been part of the recently suspiciously conciliatory leader’s plan.
Talk of a takeover was echoed by Simba Makoni, a former Zanu PF minister who stood against Mugabe in the 2008 elections. “Grace is poised to lead the Women’s League. And my hunch is she is not going to end there, realising how easy it has been for her to get to there in such a short time,” he said.
Nicknamed ‘Gucci Grace’ and ‘dis-Grace’ by those critical of her lavish lifestyle and penchant for shopping sprees, Mugabe’s former secretary is not well liked in the country. A highly controversial figure, she once punched a British journalist in Hong Kong and recently received a “mysterious” doctorate from the University of Zimbabwe, just months after enrolling.
This has led some to express scepticism about her future in Zimbabwean politics. “Grace Mugabe is unpopular in the country and disliked by senior members of the party,” said Piers Pigou, an expert in Zimbabwean affairs with the International Crisis Group. He told journalists: “She is tolerated but she has never demonstrated any political acumen or vision.”
Others have suggested that Grace is simply being used as a political pawn by one faction of the party, and poses no real threat. “It’s very easy to explain.” said veteran political commentator Ibbo Mandaza. “She’s been brought in as a means to stop [vice president] Joyce Mujuru by any means.”
Another observer, Vince Musewe, told The Guardian. “To me, Grace is just a pawn. There’s no way she’s going to be anything after Mugabe dies… She’s not educated; she does not understand the complexities of taking Zimbabwe forward. She’s part of the elite and there’s absolutely no way the security guys can accept her being president. She doesn’t have the gravitas to lead Zimbabwe.” ·
