Grace Mugabe confirmed as head of Zanu-PF women's league

President Robert Mugabe's wife has been elevated to a senior position in Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF as Africa's oldest leader reinforced his 34-year grip on power.

The dramatic rise of Grace Mugabe as the head of Zanu-PF's women's league, confirmed at the party's five-yearly elective congress, which closed late on Saturday, has fuelled speculation that Mr Mugabe is grooming his wife as his successor. But the 90-year-old president kept others in the party guessing after postponing the appointment of his deputies and other senior posts.

Mr Mugabe told 12,000 delegates at the meeting in Harare, the capital, to "be patient" saying he would make an announcement on Wednesday or Thursday. Ahead of the meeting, Zanu-PF's constitution was amended to allow Mr Mugabe to appoint senior officials rather than have them elected by party delegates.

The conference took place against the backdrop of bitter factionalism that triggered unprecedented public infighting within Zanu-PF, with Mrs Mugabe and the state-controlled press viciously attacking Joice Mujuru, the vice-president of the party and state.

During the meeting, Mr Mugabe repeated spectacular allegations that Mrs Mujuru - seen to represent the more moderate elements in Zanu-PF - had been part of a "treacherous cabal" that had plotted to assassinate the president.

Mrs Mugabe, a glamorous 49-year-old, had no previous role in the party and was better known as "Gucci Grace" because of her apparent penchant for shopping. But after being nominated for the women's league role in August she embarked on a whirlwind of rallies, during which the dominant theme was her caustic attacks on Mrs Mujuru.

Just months earlier, Mrs Mujuru - a veteran of the liberation movement who has denied the assassination plot allegations - was seen as a frontrunner to succeed Mr Mugabe. But after being publicly vilified she did not even attend the party's congress.

Emmerson Mnangagwa, the justice minister and seen as Mrs Mujuru's arch rival in the party and the race to succeed the president, is favourite to take over as one of Mr Mugabe's two deputies. There is also speculation that there could be a cabinet reshuffle, as several ministers seen as allies of Mrs Mujuru, including the ministers of foreign affairs, tourism and energy, lost their positions in Zanu-PF.

The government-owned Sunday Mail newspaper reported that nine ministers were under fire under a headline saying a reshuffle was imminent.

However, Mr Mugabe is notoriously Machiavellian and analysts caution that no matter who fills the party's senior roles, it is impossible to gauge whether he is lining up a successor.

In spite of his age, Mr Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980, has dismissed any notion of him retiring and has never groomed a successor. He reportedly told the party's central committee that it was "idiotic and foolish" to expect him to step down after he steered the party to victory at elections last year.

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Ahead of last year's vote, the country adopted a new constitution, which limited the presidency to two five-year terms. But the term limits were not imposed retrospectively, meaning Mr Mugabe could lead Zanu-PF into 2018 elections and seek another five years in office.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change alleged the last year's vote was rigged. But it has since imploded, riddled by its own factionalism in wake of the election loss, meaning Mr Mugabe's and Zanu-PF's dominance of Zimbabwean politics appears as strong as ever.

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