[Some of you will recall that I laughed at this whole succession struggle nonsense and said I did not take it seriously. Well… now they might want to make Mugabe the President for life of Zanu(PF) the ruling party… which also means… he will by default be the PRESIDENT FOR LIFE OF ZIMBABWE!!!

That puts him up among “greats” like the many genocidal black African dictators who were “presidents for life” and who had to be SHOT OUT OF OFFICE!!!

So here we see more of Mugabe’s definition of “democracy”… Apparently, we whites knew nothing about democracy. Yet not ONE of the white leaders of Rhodesia ever remained in office ILLEGALLY – like Mugabe does. They changed places according to election results. Mugabe has been the ILLEGAL leader of Zimbabwe for the past 6 or so years.

I still hope to see blood running in the streets of Zimbabwe in my lifetime… and to see people hauling out the corpses of Zanu(PF) officials and leave them to rot in the streets. I still dream of that day. Jan]

Zanu PF could appoint Mugabe for life

Harare – Zimbabwe™s ruling Zanu PF party could extend President Robert Mugabe™s term for life at an annual conference next week, party secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa told Zim Online on Tuesday. In a bizarre twist to the vicious struggle for power within Zanu PF as Mugabe™s term draws to an end in 2008, Mutasa “ who is de facto party secretary general “ said there was “a realistic chance” that the conference could appoint Mugabe party president for life and its permanent candidate in state presidential elections for as long as he was alive. Zanu PF, which has enough parliamentary majority to amend Zimbabwe™s Constitution, is pushing to alter the country™s fundamental governance document to postpone a presidential election due in 2008 to 2010 so it could be held together with elections for Parliament. Such a plan would allow Mugabe to rule for another two years after the expiry of his term. “When people talk about harmonising the elections and holding them jointly in 2010, they think we are using this to give the President a ticket to hold office till 2010. No. It could as well be that we might actually want him there for much longer than that,” said Mutasa, in a telephone interview with Zim Online on the key issues to be discussed at Zanu PF™s conference beginning next Friday.

The conference is expected to, among other issues facing the party and the country, discuss the possible postponement of the presidential poll. For example, the party™s executive committee in Midlands province and its youth executive in Manicaland province last month resolved to ask the conference to endorse moving the presidential poll to 2010. Mutasa said Mugabe, 82, had done “so many wonderful things” for Zimbabwe but was still not showing any signs of tiredness despite his advanced age and it was possible delegates to the conference could elect to appoint him for life. He said: “There is a realistic chance that someone among the delegates or one of the provinces could come up with a proposal that Zanu PF should make him President for life and that he remains the party’s presidential candidate until Amen. He has done so many wonderful things for this country and its majority population and he is not showing any signs of tiredness. So if it is raised, as I am sure it would be, why not (make him life president)?” This is the first time that anyone in Zanu PF has publicly suggested Mugabe be made president for life. As Zanu PF secretary for administration, Mutasa is a key player in organising the party conference and is in the know of what proposals provinces shall table at the key conference. He however declined to say whether when he said Mugabe could be made life president he was speaking from his knowledge of proposals provinces would table at the party conference.

Mutasa – who is one of Mugabe™s closest associates and who in an interview with the BBC last year described the veteran President as “our king” who could only be replaced upon his death – is well known for making outrageous statements that in most cases have however come true or have been backed by Mugabe himself. For example in April this year, Mutasa told ZimOnline that the government would order soldiers to shoot people taking part in opposition-led anti-government protests “ a threat repeated by Mugabe four months later in August. Labour activists who later attempted to stage anti-government protests last September were not shot at but were severely beaten up and tortured by the police. Zanu PF insiders however say plans to make Mugabe president for life would find few backers in the party. They said the two camps that are struggling for control of Zanu PF and Zimbabwe “ one backing former parliamentary speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa and another Vice-President Joice Mujuru to take over in the event of Mugabe™s departure “ could even be forced to unite in order to block moves to make the veteran leader rule for life. Mugabe has never categorically stated that he will step down in 2008 but indicated in May 2004 with British television that he would not seek re-election at the expiry of his current term. The veteran President has never publicly commented on moves by his party to extend his term to 2010.

From Zim Online (SA), 6 December
Source: WWW.ZwNews.Com