Lacoste (political faction)

{{short description|Political faction within ZANU-PF}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

Lacoste, also known as Team Lacoste,{{cite news|title=Team Lacoste guns for Mugabe - NewsDay Zimbabwe|url=https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/10/team-lacoste-guns-mugabe/|accessdate=24 November 2017|work=NewsDay Zimbabwe|date=27 October 2017}} is the name of a political faction within ZANU-PF, the ruling party of Zimbabwe. It is allied to Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was sworn in as president on 24 November 2017, following the 2017 Zimbabwe coup d'état.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pindula.co.zw/Lacoste,_Zanu-PF_Faction|title=About Team Lacoste, Zanu-PF Faction - Pindula, Local Knowledge|website=Pindula|language=en|access-date=2017-11-28}}

The grouping is named Lacoste after the French clothing company whose logo is a crocodile; Mnangagwa is commonly known as 'Garwe' which means crocodile in the Shona language. Mnangagwa obtained this nickname during the independence war against white rule, and other key figures linked to the faction such as Chris Mutsvangwa have a similar background as veterans of this war.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-26604-Croc%20rocked%20as%20ally%20minister%20gets%20the%20boot/news.aspx|title=Croc rocked as ally minister gets the boot|date=14 December 2015|website=New Zimbabwe|access-date=2017-11-28|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033526/http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-26604-Croc%20rocked%20as%20ally%20minister%20gets%20the%20boot/news.aspx|url-status=dead}}

During the years leading up to the coup and overthrow of Robert Mugabe, Lacoste and Generation 40, a group of politicians close to Grace Mugabe were rivals. The two sides frequently traded insults at political rallies.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zimeye.net/mugabe-to-deal-with-lacoste-faction-sabotaging-economy/|title=Mugabe To Deal With Lacoste Faction "Sabotaging Economy" {{!}} ZimEye|date=26 September 2017|website=ZimEye|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-11-28|archive-date=16 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116192745/https://www.zimeye.net/mugabe-to-deal-with-lacoste-faction-sabotaging-economy/|url-status=dead}}