Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe would pay dearly for lambasting his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa following calls for him to be tried for his past violations against humanity.
The Deputy Minister of Defence Victor Matemadanda has said Mugabe must be tried for the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres, and should use his cattle to pay for the Gukurahundi killings.
Speaking in a video clip recently, Matemadanda said Mugabe was single-handedly to blame for the Gukurahundi killings.
However, some analysts believe the calls by Matemadanda is a direct attack on the former president for having had called Mnangagwa to order.
While celebrating his 95th birthday at his Blue Roof residency Mugabe told the invited guests that the killings of civilians by the military on Mnangagwa’s orders was uncalled for. He warned Mnangagwa that God would punish him.
As if aware that he was going to be attacked for lambasting Mnangagwa, Mugabe told the same gathering that he does not care what will be done to him as a result of taking a swipe at his successor.
“I don’t care what will happen to me,” he told the guests.
By lambasting Mnangagwa, Mugabe invited a series of insults from ED’s bootlickers, with the ZANU-PF’s Women and Youths Leagues leading the pack.
Between 1983 and 1987, Mugabe presided over the killing of between 20 000 and 25 000 defenceless Zimbabweans of mostly Ndebele ethnic tribe by the North Korea and British military-trained Fifth Brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army.
In the same vein, Mnangagwa, as the minister under which the killing squad operated, is said to have played a key and direct role in the killings.
Political science student at a local university in Harare, Norman Mamvura says Matemadanda’s rants against Mugabe are motivated by sour grapes.
“Talking of Gukurahundi, both Mugabe and Mnangagwa are equally to blame. While Mugabe gave orders from his office for the killings to be carried out, Mnangagwa as the minister responsible, acted more like a field commander to see to it that the act was executed in line with his boss’ orders,” he says.
He adds that the other element is that Mnangagwa whom Mugabe confessed of having had presidential ambitions since independence, was an interested party. Mnangagwa carried out the killing job whole-heartedly.
“And as such, Mnangagwa was an interested party, therefore it is senseless to exonerate him from the cold blooded murders,” he says.
