Zimbabwe politicians argue over crocodiles, underwear theft
A lot of the bitter quarrels, which come ahead of Mugabe's 92nd birthday on Feb. 21, happen on Twitter and other social media platforms, providing Zimbabweans with a stream of nasty, colorful and sometimes entertaining quips that would have been unthinkable not long ago.
The disputes within the ruling party are the result of Mugabe's failure to groom an obvious successor, said Gabriel Shumba, a human rights lawyer and chairman of the South Africa-based Zimbabwe Exiles Forum.
The veterans were upset with what they described as criticism by Grace Mugabe, Mugabe's wife and a prominent member of a political faction.
A key figure in succession talk is Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also justice minister and a veteran associate of Mugabe dating to the guerrilla war against minority rule in what was then Rhodesia.
Moyo accused Mutsvangwa of stealing female combatants' underwear for resale from the drying lines at training camps in neighboring Mozambique during the 1970s war against white rule.
Mutsvangwa also described Moyo as a "Rasputin" figure — an apparent reference to his links to Grace Mugabe — and has said Moyo should take a DNA test to prove he does not come from a bloodline hostile to Mugabe.