With a day to go until the Zanu PF congress ends in Zimbabwe, Vice President Joice Mujuru and her key allies, have not bothered to attend. They've been accused of wanting to topple - and kill - President Robert Mugabe, who's been in power since independence.
Analysts say Mugabe will now ensure he's surrounded by loyalists.Several of Vice President Joice Mujuru’s allies stayed away from
the Zanu-PF congress this week, after one was fired and others were
suspended.
Two are reportedly ill.Mujuru among others was side-lined in elections to a key committee of the party, Where crucial decisions are made.
An analyst, Piers Pigou says:"What's happened in the process is a massive centralisation of
power within the party. The changes to the ZANU-PF constitution, which
have given him unprecedented power within the party. What we must
remember is that whoever finally does take over in the party will also
adopt these powers as well, so it makes the successor's position
extremely powerful."Analysts expect Mugabe’s wife Grace, to be elevated further in the party.She is due to become head of the women’s league.
Grace engineered Mujuru's ousting from Zanu-PF, accusing her of wanting her husband's post, and of being corrupt and divisive.Now Mujuru's position in government also hangs in the balance.Mugabe said on Thursday that the vice president faces arrest, If corruption allegations prove true.Mujuru was for years seen as one of the frontrunners as Mugabe's successor.She is set to be replaced by a Mugabe loyalist, Emmerson Mnangagwa.