by Chris Bishop
President Robert Mugabe’s nephew and cabinet minister,has
said the 93-year-old head of state will not step down because of the letter of
the Constitution despite a military takeover and massed marches against him in
Harare. He also claims Grace Mugabe has no interest in becoming president.
Patrick Zhuwawo, who has been Minister of Public Services
and Social Welfare for the last two years, is the son of Mugabe’s sister
Sabina, who died in 2010. He is said to be one of the supporters of his aunt’s
bid to succeed Mugabe, although he denies this.
Zhuwawo had been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, attending a
conference on child labour, when the military went in. As he checked in for a flight home at OR
Tambo International Airport, in Johannesburg, he took a call from his family in
Harare begging him to stay put.
“They told me that my house had been vandalised and I was
on a wanted list. The also informed me that a number of people had died in this
illegal coup and more than 200 were in detention,” says Zhuwawo.
When will President Mugabe step down? I said, asking the
question on everyone’s lips on the day as thousands marched in Harare calling
from him to go.
“Because he has a
mandate given to him by an electoral process. More importantly stepping down
because of a coup is dangerous, it is evil we can never allow military weapons
to determine democratic processes….he is not going to step down,” says Zhuwawo.
“This coup is now being window dressed to look like a
popular uprising.”
Zhuwawo claims that military chiefs are using protesters to
cover what he alleges is looting from multi-million dollar agricultural funds.
Zhuwawo also claimed he was not a member of the so called
G40 group of young MPs backing his aunt Grace to succeed his uncle.
“No, that is not the issue and she has no intention of
being the next president. The people of Zimbabwe must choose the next
president,” he says.
What about President Mugabe’s age and infirmity. When I saw
him at the World Economic Forum in Durban in May he moved painfully – isn’t it
time, I asked?
“One of the things in our constitution is that there must
be no discrimination on race or sex or age..If you were Zimbabwean you are
breaking the Constitution …What we do not want to go back to is the day of Nazi
Germany when they were euthanizing old people,” he says
After 37 years in power, the last 20 presiding over a crumbling economy, surely
Mugabe and his comrades had failed and should go anyway to make way for new
ideas?
“You will not divert me here, I am talking about a coup,”
he says.
If only Mugabe, Zhuwawo and company had diverted the
economy towards growth and prosperity 20 years ago there may not be tanks and
protesters on the streets now. CNBC AFRICA
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