ZimPF on fire as Mujuru sacks top leadership

Upenyu Chaota

09 Feb 2017 – MASVINGO – Chinua Achebe’s masterpiece, Things Fall Apart, seems to be the best way to describe the chaos that has suddenly erupted in the opposition Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) after party leader, Joice Mujuru chucked out seven members of its top brass who were accused of working against party interests.
Rugare Gumbo, Didymus Mutasa, Margaret Dongo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti-Chuma, Luckson Kandemiri, Munacho Mutezo and Claudious Makova were summarily fired for, among other things, being agents of the Zanu PF government.
In a press statement issued yesterday, Mujuru accused the seven of having “chosen to be agents of the regime.”
Of late, there have been speculations the seven were blocking current efforts to form a coalition with other opposition parties to dislodge President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF in 2018 and were planning to dismiss Mujuru from the party.
“As a Party, we have decided to take stern measures against elements determined to stall the progress that the party has been making. As a result, we have decided to eject some of the colleagues and comrades we thought would stand with the People’s cause but have chosen to be agents of the regime.
“All sorts of tricks, ranging from coup d’état and sophisticated infiltration, have taken centre stage with a view to delaying the People’s cause of unequivocal liberation,” the statement further reads.
Mujuru said more heads will roll as it was on public record that Mugabe had vowed to divide her party into ‘ZimPF One, Two and so on.”
When contacted for comment, Mutasa rubbished the dismissals as premature.
“Why did she have to make such a decision in the absence of the whole leadership? We are actually going to face her for clarification. We were instead supposed to meet over (Dzikamai) Mavhaire’s demotion. Mavhaire has openly fanned divisions in the party but instead, we hear we have been fired through a private press statement,” said Mutasa.
Bhasikiti also attacked Mujuru saying she had lost her mind and has no power to fire people who appointed her.
“Yes I heard of our dismissal but what is surprising is that Mujuru was appointed by Mutasa and Gumbo to be acting President. So who is she to fire those who appointed her? I think she was just signing her way out of ZimPF not to say she has fired us from the party. NO!
He also accused Mujuru of nepotism saying the former Vice President was surrounding herself with relatives within her Zhou totem.
Makova, who recently resigned as party provincial coordinator after the party performed poorly in the Bikita West by-election, said ZimPF was their brainchild and they will, instead, fire Mujuru herself.
“We cannot let Mujuru play funny factional games with us. We are going to fire her because it’s the people’s voice that talks not the President’s voice.
“Our crime was to tell her the honest truth. We were open with her that we can’t operate with people who have lost the party’s vision. It was this development that Gumbo had gone to confirm at the party office only to be told that Mujuru is holding a press conference at her home to fire us.
“We even tried to groom her to become an ideal leader but she is too stubborn. We wanted her to become like Mugabe who, when he stands and speak, you will feel a leader’s presence. What she has done is a mistake,” Makova said.news