Four Most Powerful Politicians in Zimbabwe

So who really does call the shots in Zimbabwean politics? Remember, what perpetuates Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis is that the big four are in disagreement about who should succeed Robert Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe.

Following is a list of who I think are the main players in Zimbabwean politics:

1. Robert Mugabe – He is president of Zimbabwe and its long time ruler. He has also been for a long time the compromise leader of the various Zanu PF factions. To this day, he continues to have a love-hate relationship with the people of Zimbabwe. In the on-going battle for control of Zanu PF and, therefore Zimbabwe, he heads the faction of politicians and business leaders from his home area. His faction would want him to stay in power until he dies. They do not seem to have an alternative candidate.

2. Solomon Mujuru – Thing is, Robert Mugabe first became president of Zimbabwe through the efforts and influence of this man. But that is hardly the source of Solomon Mujuru’s power. He is powerful precisely because, as the first Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, he still commands extensive influence in the armed forces even though he is now retired. Word on the street is that the armed forces will never expressly intervene in Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis without his endorsement. This does make him the ultimate king maker. He is also a member of the ruling party’s politburo and does not hold an ‘official’ post in government. Widely feared and revered in Zimbabwe, he heads the faction of politicians and business leaders with similar entrenched interests. His wife, Joyce Mujuru, is a vice president of Zimbabwe and until recently she seemed destined to be Mugabe’s successor. Another member of the faction, Dr Sydney Sekeremayi, is the Minister of Defense. It is not clear who this faction wants to succeed Mugabe.

3. Emmerson Mnangagwa – He has liberation credentials that rival those of Robert Mugabe and Solomon Mujuru. Zimbabwe’s first Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, he has been Robert Mugabe’s right had man for decades. In fact, he is just one of three people to feature consistently in Mugabe’s cabinet in its various shapes and sizes over the years. This excludes the time he was Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe. The other two are Joyce Mujuru and Sydney Sekeramayi.
For many years it was expected that it was automatic that Emmerson Mnangagwa would succeed Mugabe. In 2005 he almost successfully orchestrated a daring political coup inside Zanu PF that would have placed him out in front in the race for the presidency. The other factions disrupted his attempts to take power and while his backers received retribution for their part in the plot, he was not even touched. Emmerson Mnangagwa heads the faction of the south – potentially Zimbabwe’s most volatile region. His faction is a faction that believes that its turn to call the shots in Zimbabwe has arrived.

4. Morgan Tsvangirai – Frankly, I had initially not included Morgan Tsvangirai on this list until reports on CNN, Sky news and BBC changed my mind. Apparently, Tsvangirai is the international community’s choice for the individual to succeed Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe. However if Robert Mugabe, Solomon Mujuru and Emmerson Mnangagwa manage to arrange a successful truce in Zanu PF before the population reaches boiling point, expect Morgan Tsvangirai to be less relevant in shaping the next government. Morgan Tsvangirai first accumulated power as the leader of the combined Zimbabwe labour unions. He is the most recognizable face of the opposition even though his party has lost some of its lustre because of internal divisions rocking it/



Personally, whenever I try to predict how events are going to shape up in the future, the above individuals are the ones that I watch. Does anyone have a different list to share on this topic?