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Zanu-PF has, over the past three weeks, expelled two of Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s noisiest supporters, Jabulani Sibanda and Rugare Gumbo.Sibanda, a card-carrying member who chaired the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association was sacked straight-away for his infamous “bedroom coup” insult he directed at President Mugabe and the First Lady, Cde Grace. Gumbo had openly been backing VP Mujuru in her effort to unlawfully seize the president’s post.
Additionally, he was found guilty of misrepresenting some politburo decisions as well as using his status as party spokesman to make statements that offended the party line but propped up VP Mujuru’s profile. For that, but apparently acknowledging his long service to the party and government as well as his liberation war history which, of course, is marred by his involvement in the failed 1977-8 rebellion, the party decided to only suspend him for five years. But instead of accepting his deserved punishment with humility, Gumbo went on with his anti-Zanu-PF, anti-President Mugabe rhetoric.
The party was left with no option but to expel him on Wednesday.
The axe also fell on Cde Enock Porusingazi who was handed a five-year suspension three weeks ago for participating in rebellious activity.
Many others, who actively worked to pervert rules and procedures in Zanu-PF through vote buying, vote rigging and undermining the President, plotting to remove him from office through unconstitutional means including seeking to assassinate him and consulting sangomas to cast a death spell on him, are still in the party. These include the VP herself, Cdes Ray Kaukonde, Didymus Mutasa,
Dzikamai Mavhaire, Nicholas Goche, and Munacho Mutezo. More have been mentioned as being part of the Mujuru-Mutasa-Kaukonde axis, the likes of Cdes Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Webster Shamu, Temba Mliswa, Olivia Muchena, Tendai Savanhu, David Chapfika and Charles Tavengwa.
Our list is by no means exhaustive but the party should definitely know those who took part in the plots of the past decade.
Our most humble suggestion to Zanu-PF, a suggestion that is informed by the 2008 bhora musangoibhola egangeni experience which degenerated since last year into a sadistic game is that the many plotters who remain in the party must be expelled too.
Delegates to the party’s Sixth National People’s Congress will, as is the norm, come up with various resolutions that would be adopted as the five-yearly event ends tonight.
Can this not be a good stage for Zanu-PF to come up with a resolution to expel those who worked to the detriment of their own party, VP Mujuru, Cdes Mutasa, Kaukonde, Mavhaire and their ilk?
Just how can the party redeem VP Mujuru who wished the President dead and who sent her loyalists to sangomas to make that happen for her to succeed him? From where we stand, we don’t think there is any hope to rehabilitate her and her allies. The reason why the impact of 2008 failed to redeem them will make it impossible for them to see sense now.
There are also the nine former provincial chairmen who were recently ejected from office through votes of no confidence. In addition to the politicians, there are a number of senior civil servants and a few ordinary workers in the party who had become embedded in the factional contest.
They cannot defend themselves by saying they did not know that they were being used as instruments to overthrow the President.
We note that the VP and her closest strategists may have fired themselves by willfully missing key party events such as Politburo meetings held over the past eight days and the congress. If they have, the party is simply formalising that. Why not when they have fired themselves already?
The state of the party report, presented to congress in Harare by politburo member Cde Jacob Mudenda yesterday highlights in more graphic detail the paralysis the party went through because of VP Mujuru and her maneouvrings.
At some stage, Cde Mudenda reported yesterday, VP Mujuru attempted to convene meetings of the politburo and Cabinet. She failed, but if these actions do not constitute an attempted coup, nothing does!
Zanu-PF must not repeat the mistake it did in 2008, that of condoning treachery by some of its members against their own party.
Only expulsion of VP Mujuru and Cdes Mutasa, Kaukonde, Mavhaire, Goche, Shamu, Mliswa, Muchena, Bhasikiti would bring closure to their 10-year failed insurrection. They are unhappy to be exposed and publicly reprimanded, that we know. Leaving them in the party will give them the cover to continue on their political debauchery.
Election 2018 is just three years away and the deposed cabal might launch another negative campaign then. It is best for the party to move on with cadres that are geared towards defending the revolution than to accommodate double-faced characters who will rebel again next time.
Online Reporter