Mujuru acting President as Mugabe goes on leave

Mujuru acting President as Mugabe goes on leave

MUJURU

• What's the point of Joyce Mujuru?

• Mujuru: a worm in a fish pond

• The end is nigh for the President

• Mujuru sworn in as Zimbabwe's first female VP

• Mugabe silences retirement talk

• Mugabe reprimands his spin doctor

• Mugabe 'frightened' by own spin doctor

• Mugabe's own Joseph Goebbels

• Mnangagwa suffers crushing political defeat

• Mugabe says Zanu PF divided

• Mugabe wants female deputy

• Mnangagwa outsmarted in race for State House

• 'President Mnangagwa will be Zanu PF's Waterloo'

• Moyo clashes with Shamuyarira over Sky

• Nkomo declares war on 'saboteurs and infiltrators'

• Zanu PF editor at war with Moyo

• Mugabe's spin doctor eyes presidency

• Zanu PF at war over Mugabe's successor

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE'S first female vice-president, Joyce Mujuru, has taken over as acting head of state during President Robert Mugabe's year-end vacation.

Officials say Mr. Mugabe left Harare late Monday to travel to Malaysia, and is expected to return early next month.

The state-run Herald newspaper says Vice President Mujuru will serve in his absence, becoming the first woman to hold the nation's highest office.

Ms. Mujuru was approved as one of Zimbabwe's two vice presidents during a ruling party conference earlier this month. She had served as water minister and fought in the country's guerrilla war for independence in the 1970s.

In an interview with South African television on Monday, Ms. Mujuru said she may seek Zimbabwe's presidency in 2008 elections, when Mr. Mugabe is due to retire.

Meanwhile President Mugabe's spin doctor Jonathan Moyo who was recently dropped from the ruling Zanu PF's central committee and politburo has jetted off to Kenya on a holiday with his family, New Zimbabwe.com was told.

Moyo was booked into a safari lodge -- and had to deal with fears about his own security amid claims there was a plot to assassinate him while in Kenya.

Ironically, media reports have said Moyo is a wanted man in Kenya where he is alleged to have defrauded the American Ford Foundation.
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com