Staff ReporterLondon – Former Zimbabwean vice president Joice Mujuru has reportedly said that she was a “clear” successor to President Robert Mugabe just before she was expelled from both the ruling Zanu-PF and government in 2014.
Mnjuru was kicked out after Mugabe’s wife Grace, launched a campaign against her, accusing her of instigating factional fighting and plotting to topple the veteran leader.
Mujuru, however, denied the charges and formed her own party, along with other former Zanu-PF members.
According to other news agencies joice Mujuru said the “nation had fully endorsed my candidature” when Zanu-PF decided to expel her from government.
Mujuru said this during a presentation at the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.
“When it became apparent that I was the clear successor to President Robert Mugabe, men seemed not ready for that although the nation had fully endorsed my candidature,” Mujuru was quoted as saying.
A News Day report said Mujuru was, at the same event, bestowed with an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her “positive contribution to society”.
The award was presented to her by the Women Appreciating Women (WAW), an organisation founded by multi-award-winning entrepreneur, Kenyan-born UK-based billionaire Pauline Long.
Mujuru’s claims were, however, quashed by Zimbabwe’s war veterans and political observers, who said she was never popularly elected to any position within Zanu-PF, “as she was a mere beneficiary of President Mugabe’s benevolence”, according to state media.
“There is nothing like natural and clear successor in Zanu-PF… She is day dreaming and I shudder to think what was going to happen if she was to become president when she is now warming up to the country’s enemies like this,” war veteran leader and Manicaland Provincial Minister of State Mandi Chimene was quoted as saying.
