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Joice Mujuru

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
US Senator Christopher Smith has exposed ousted Vice President Joice Mujuru for working with Western powers in her conspiracy to unseat President Mugabe unconstitutionally and lamented that her expulsion had put the succession issue in doubt.

In a more telling admission, the New Jersey senator said yielding engagement with Harare was only achievable after President Mugabe leaves office.

In his recent address to the US House of Representatives, Sen Smith, however, admitted that President Mugabe — who is also the Sadc and African Union chairman — enjoyed overwhelming support from fellow African leaders, a position that puts US foreign interests in a much more awkward position.

“As if the government’s repressive tactics are not troubling enough, political jockeying in Zimbabwe, including the recent dismissal of Vice President Joice Mujuru, places the succession to President Mugabe in doubt, which puts US policy in question,” he said.

“Last week’s hearing examined current US policy toward Zimbabwe and the prospects for an enhanced relationship depending on events that have not yet taken place.

“Zimbabwe is a country rich in both natural and human potential. Once the resentments of the current old guard have passed and democratic governance can be established, US-Zimbabwe relations can become what they have never been, harmonious and mutually beneficial.”

Sen Smith said Zimbabwe was important in the Western scheme of things because of its vast natural resources.

He said the resources in Zimbabwe were more sought after the world over.

“Its (Zimbabwe’s) mineral wealth gives it an outsized importance,” he said.

“The southern African nation is the world’s third largest source of platinum group metals and has significant reserves of nickel, gold, chromium and dozens of other metals and minerals. Significant diamond reserves were discovered in 2006.

“It was the abundance of such mineral resources, and their exploitation, which has driven the relationship between the West and Zimbabwe.”

Sen Smith’s remarks drew a slew of brickbats from political analysts who accused Washington of violating international law by trying to direct the politics of another sovereign state.

University of Zimbabwe political scientist Professor Charity Manyeruke said Sen Smith’s remarks were in violation of the United Nations’ principle of territorial integrity and sovereign status.

“It is clear that the US has its own plans in terms of what they want to see as leadership in Zimbabwe,” she said.

“This is inconsistent with the UN principle of State equality and respect for each other’s territorial integrity.”

Prof Manyeruke said Sen Smith’s remarks also proved that Dr Mujuru was already working with the Americans even when she was still the vice president in Zanu-PF and government.

As such, Prof Manyeruke said, Dr Mujuru’s expulsion was a good riddance.

Dean of Communication and Information Science at the National University of Science and Technology Dr Lawton Hikwa said: “Those were mere statements (by Sen Smith) because leadership in any country is not a cast in concrete. They (West) fear President Mugabe’s stance because they were used to loot African resources and President Mugabe is now calling for beneficiation of those resources locally.”