President Mugabe’s Zanu PF party has a song ‘Zanu ndeye ropa’(Zanu is a party of blood). Loosely translated, this means Zanu PF exists today after its own sons shed the blood of the enemy to liberate Zimbabwe. But the meaning has since been interpreted by ordinary Zimbabweans to imply that the party is prepared to murder to serve its own interests, even if this means turning against its own members.

By Nkosana Dlamini

The Zanu party anthem remains fresh in the minds of Zimbabweans as they search for clues as to what could have led to the mysterious death of Solomon Mujuru, the country’s first black army commander and close ally of President Mugabe.

Mujuru, husband to Vice President Joice Mujuru, was found burnt beyond recognition following a fire at his farmhouse outside Harare early Tuesday morning.

The retired military leader led a faction of ambitious politicians within the party, which together led by defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, is involved in a fierce fight to succeed Mugabe.

Assassination claims
Zimbabweans, speaking in hushed tones for fear of victimisation, wonder how the fearless commander of Zimbabwe’s liberation war, who survived numerous assassination attempts, could have failed to escape from a fire that devoured his entire body.

“Mujuru was assassinated by enemies within his own party who are out to weaken his faction. This falls squarely in the Zanu PF culture of plots and counter plots,” says Levy Machona, a supporter of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC.

Zanu PF history is full of the mysterious deaths of party heavy weights with influence over the party's leadership direction who have died in mysterious car accidents. There has been no evidence however to prove these were assassinations.

Just like the late Mujuru, Mnangagwa is a member of the politburo, Zanu PF’s supreme decision making body, which is starched with politicians of unquestionable loyalty to Mugabe.

Both men exerted control over the country’s military, which has a huge influence on the country’s political direction. Mnangagwa however was beaten to the Vice Presidency post in 2004, which was seized by Joice Mujuru.

Mnangawa unmatched
Observers say that hopes for the Mujuru camp to take full control of the party have been dashed by the leader’s death as there is no other politician in the group who can match the political stature of rival Mnangagwa.

“It is obvious that if you kill the head, the body also dies,” said one political analyst who preferred not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

But the fight to succeed Mugabe looks set to worsen after it emerged that the president’s advanced age, failing health and diminishing popularity could soon force his exit from active politics.

Until Mujuru’s death is scientifically proven through thorough investigations by the police, the possibility of this being a manifestation of Zanu PF’s dirty power games will remain a hot topic of conversation in Zimbabwe.