By Brighton Chiseva
Fired and suspended Zanu PF members have declared their unwavering loyalty to the party, a move that has raised eyebrows, amidst factional squabbles through which they were axed from the party.
Gutu East MP Benjamin Ganyiwa and Kudakwashe Gopo were fired over a litany of allegations which are linked to their resistance of the ED2030 agenda.
Contacted for comment, however, Ganyiwa and Gopo declared unwavering support to the party, adding another layer of complexity to the already tumultuous Zanu PF landscape.
Speaking to TellZim News, Gopo said the allegations leveled against him were false, saying the Politburo was misled by the provincial disciplinary committee.
“I respect the decision of the Politburo, I do not blame them because they were misled by the province I am being accused of disrupting meetings and being against the 2030 agenda, which is all false.
“It started long ago before the 2030 agenda came when I was provincial chair, they reassigned me and now they are saying I am against 2030. They accuse me of disrupting meetings which is all a lie. I will however remain loyal to Zanu PF,” said Gopo.
Gopo was fired in 2014 on allegations of undermining the President, undermining the decisions of the Politburo and was accused of being against the elevation of then First Lady Grace Mugabe before he was readmitted by the second republic.
On his part, Ganyiwa said Zanu PF was the only party he knew since birth so he was going to continue serving in or out of the party which he said was bigger than individuals, and the decision to expel him was for the greater good of the party.
“I will remain loyal, patriotic, faithful, committed and dedicated to keep on working positively for the revolutionary party Zanu PF whether from inside or outside, with or without a party position as it will forever remain my only permanent political house/home I have known since my childhood.
“I may have supporters who loved me but at the same time it must be understood that I don’t own people of my own, all people belong to Zanu PF,” said Ganyiwa.
Ganyiwa was accused of disloyalty after holding meetings without notifying leadership, being in a constituency WhatsApp group where people denigrate leadership and failed to reprimand them.
He was also accused of fanning factionalisms by holding meetings with people outside the district as well as name dropping where henclaimed to be close to the national leadership hence he did not take orders from the provincial leadership.
Analysts who spoke to TellZim News said the members were insane to continue supporting a party that fired them.
Political analyst Dr Arthur Fidelis Chikerema said they were loyal to the party, which meant they were benefiting a lot from the party so going against the party meant that they may lose everything they had which was why they said it was cold outside Zanu PF.
“If you see a person saying he was expelled from a party and said I will remain loyal, it means there’s a lot that he or she benefits from that organization. These guys abuse their power whether they are members or leaders.
“You know that if you go against Zanu PF policies totally they will strip off all the benefits. They will take all what you acquired during the time you were in Zanu PF so to keep that they will claim to be loyal,” said Dr Chikerema.
He said a lot of people were begging to be readmitted because they know the benefits of being part and parcel of Zanu PF.
Another analyst Dr Nicholas Aribino said being in Zanu PF meant one has access to many resources so they would rather claim to remain loyal so that they get readmitted when time comes to benefit though it was illogical do so.
“It is not an undying commitment to the party that is motivating them but what they can realize out of their continued association with the party,” said Dr Aribino.
Political commentator Rashweat Mukundu said the claim to remain loyal to the party was because of the factional wars and they were anticipating that if another faction wins then they would be readmitted.
“Factional suspensions in Zanu PF are temporary depending on the outcome of the factional wars. If the suspended members are still having their bets on a preferred leader then their desire is to remain as close to the party as they can be and still.
“This is all a game of thrones amongst the same people. Politics is never about principles but self-interest none of the political leaders we have are pushing a principle but selfish agenda,” said Mukundu.
