Mugabe wants female deputy

Mugabe wants female deputy

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By Agencies

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe has said he wants a woman to occupy one of the country's two vice-presidential posts, the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper reported.

Mugabe told his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) in Harare on Saturday that the party's highest decision-making body, the politburo, had decided that one vice-president should be a woman, the paper said.

"I agree with the decision. We must elevate our women because in other countries they have women prime ministers and even presidents," Mugabe said.

If the ruling party approves the decision, a woman could be elected vice president during the Zanu-PF national congress due in two weeks' time, the report said.

There is currently a vacancy for the post of vice-president following the death of veteran politician Simon Muzenda last year.

The post is a key one - some reports have suggested that Muzenda's replacement will be the figure most likely to succeed Mugabe who has hinted he may retire when his term expires in 2008.

There have been reports of intense jockeying within the party to fill the position, and Mugabe hinted that not everyone agreed with the decision to appoint a woman.

Several high-ranking men have been reported to be in the running for the vice-presidency, including parliamentary speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa, retired army chief Vitalis Zvinavashe and cabinet ministers Didymus Mutasa and Ignatius Chombo.

"There might be problems at congress. Those who are not happy might show their true colours. So women must have consensus and avoid divisions so that congress is not divided," the 80-year-old president told his supporters.

The powerful Zanu-PF woman's league has been pushing for a woman to represent them at vice-presidency level since 1999, but the league is reported to be split over two candidates: Thenjiwe Lesabe, the most senior woman in the league and Water Resources Minister Joyce Mujuru.

Lesabe is a former member of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu), which fought alongside Mugabe's party during the war for independence against Britain in the 1970s. The two parties were merged in 1987. - Sapa-AFP
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