Charles Mabhena
‘Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones’ so goes an old adage, when Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa put it clear that corruption should not be tolerated, many thought it was mere politicking, some said he was going to be fired for going against the Generation 40 (G40) which is rumoured to be First Lady Grace Mugabe’s making.
The issue of who will succeed President Robert Mugabe to the throne when he leaves office, and his reluctance in naming a successor, have ripped the party into two, G40 and team Lacoste a group supporting Mnangagwa’s ascendancy, which is currently maintaining a healthy lead in the race, after his opponents have been fingered in dirty deals and now facing arrest.
The most senior members of the G40 tent have recently been implicated in alleged corruption, and the fact that it is the godfathers Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere who have been fingered as having had dipped hands in the state coffers, spells doom to this grouping of youngsters.
According to analysts, dirty hands have derailed the overambitious young Turks’ train. Apparently, the VP and his boss Mugabe are singing from the same hymn book with reports being that Mnangagwa is enjoying support from the President’s Office, in his bid to get rid of corrupt ZANU PF officials.
In a telephone interview with Zim News, a Mount Darwin based social and political commentator Elder Mabhunu said this could be the end of the G40 faction, as the CVs of its leaders have been tainted.
“Politics is more about one’s image the problem with these so-called young Turks is that when they were appointed into higher positions they went on a looting spree. Despite them knowing that corruption is bad they did not know that it will also come back to haunt them when they seek higher offices. Corruption should never be condoned; it is a serious offence, in some regimes if one is accused of corruption the best thing is to resign.
“Remember the likes of Maurice Nyagumbo, who upon being implicated in the Willowvale motor scandal was ashamed to the extent that he committed suicide, I am not saying suicide after implication is the way to go, but I trying to put it forward that being found to be corrupt, when in high public office is shameful,” he said.
He said although there might be other versions to the story, back then being labelled corrupt was enough to cause worry. He added that it is only this current crop of leaders who take it lightly.
ZANU PF chairperson in Britain Nick Mangwana recently expressed worry also, as to why the current crop of leaders are not ashamed of corruption, adding that the ill has reached alarming levels in Zimbabwe such that everyone is supposed to be ashamed of it.
As the succession issue reached its boiling point, a few months ago saw Mnangagwa being humiliated by the seemingly power hungry members of G40, accusing him of fanning factionalism, and calling President Mugabe to fire his right hand man, but the old guard who is also known for being a ‘lone hunter’ remained calm under storm.
Be that as it may, the issue of someone taking over from the 92 year old Mugabe reared its head in parliament the day before yesterday, when an MP from an opposition party Priscilla Misihairambwi Mushonga told the august house that Mugabe’s lack of clear plan on succession in his party is now affecting government and the whole country in general.
