HARARE - The deaths of the three key men behind President Robert Mugabe's coercive electoral strategy has left the embattled Zimbabwean leader and his ruling Zanu-PF party in disarray and confusion.
Mr Mugabe and his ministers appear to believe these deaths are not natural or accidental. His officials have openly said they believe their party is haunted, some even saying that "the gods must be angry". Others have blamed the deaths on black magic.
"We don't know what is hitting us. Something unnatural must be behind all this," said Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mr Mugabe's right-hand man, who is also speaker of parliament.
Another senior ruling party official said: "The party is haunted ... We fear the hand of Lucifer is at work."
Although analysts say that Mr Mugabe's use of terror tactics remains his only trump card in presidential elections next year, they agree that the deaths of the three ruling party firebrands is a huge drawback.
The three Chenjerai Hitler Hunzvi, 51, the war veterans' leader, Moven Mahachi, 52, defence minister, and Border Gezi, 36, youth affairs minister had all played prominent roles in formulating Mr Mugabe's terror tactics. Mr Mugabe himself has acknowledged the role of the three, ahead of some of his ministers.
He recently said the three had remained steadfast in their support of his compulsory confiscations of white farms at a time when some "doubting Thomases" within cabinet had shown signs of relenting.
Mr Hunzvi, the latest victim of suspected black magic, was buried at the national heroes' shrine on Friday. He led the militant war veterans in the field, while Mr Gezi was responsible for their upkeep and logistics in various parts of the country. Mr Mahachi, in turn, was responsible for converting the war veterans into a reserve force of the Zimbabwe National Army.
"The three were key to Mr Mugabe's terror strategies," said Lovemore Madhuku, an analyst at the University of Zimbabwe. "No wonder Mr Mugabe and his guys are shocked and short of words to describe the deaths, which they now foolishly blame on black magic," he said.
Mr Mugabe's failure to quickly replace Mr Gezi and Mr Mahachi has been interpreted as showing his lack of confidence in some of his party officials.
It also underscored the confusion within the party, as some potential candidates shunned appointments by Mr Mugabe. Nkosana Moyo, the trade and industry minister, who resigned over a month ago and fled to the US with his family, has not been replaced.
"The feeling among some is that accepting an appointment by Mr Mugabe is to invite bad luck. The man has spilt a lot of innocent blood," said one junior official of the ruling party.
A number of prominent personalities declined an invitation by Mr Mugabe to stand as the ruling party's candidate in executive mayoral elections in Bulawayo. The move forced Mr Mugabe to postpone the mayoral elections indefinitely.
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Mugabe party 'fears the hand of Lucifer'
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