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Former Vice-President, Joice Mujuru scored yet another ignominious record yesterday when Zanu-PF expelled her over corruption, regime change plots and her continued utterances casting aspersions on the revolutionary movement.She had already made history by becoming the first former vice-president to lose her position as the second in charge in the party and government in December. She also held the record of being the first former vice-president to lose her place in the party’s central committee and politburo. Now, she has chalked up yet another dishonourable record, as she becomes the first former vice-president to be actually expelled from the party.
Her expulsion follows that of her most ardent loyalists who worked tirelessly to unconstitutionally propel her to the presidency. Rugare Gumbo, Didymus Mutasa, Temba Mliswa and Jabulani Sibanda, were some of her willing instruments in her 10-year plot that also considered eliminating President Mugabe on the eve of the party congress in December.
She possibly thought that she was untouchable seeing her underlings punished, thus she had been making negative comments about the party in recent weeks, using private newspapers, which traditionally serve as mouthpieces of MDC-T. The fact that she granted them rare access to her demonstrates the kind of political orientation she now has after the party stopped her scheming in the run up to the December congress.
Mujuru stood accused of a litany of crimes. She created a parallel structure in both party and government, worked with hostile forces against President Mugabe, plotted to spring a vote of no confidence against the President at the December congress and his outright assassination. Mujuru also stands accused of grand corruption and is in fact being investigated on a range of underhand activities. These transgressions influenced the party’s rank and file in her own Mt Darwin district to recommend her removal from the central committee and politburo. The structures in her home district refused to pick her for any leadership position. Having lost that foundational backing, President Mugabe could not choose her for a position in the central committee or politburo.
That was punishment enough for the first woman to serve her country as vice-president. It was hoped that she would realise that the party could not bring her down so much if there was nothing particularly wrong with her politics and general conduct.
However, she persisted in her ways and clearly encouraged Mutasa, Gumbo, Mliswa and Sibanda to continue fighting Zanu-PF on her behalf. After a brief spell of silence after congress, she joined them in recent months with some defiant, anti-Zanu-PF rhetoric. She met her end yesterday.
We argue that the party did well in sacking her and we are satisfied that a thorough investigation was done to get the details, as reports presented at the politburo meeting yesterday and based on credible intelligence, show.
Party spokesman, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said yesterday: “The grounds for Joice Mujuru’s expulsion from Zanu-PF include but not limited to the following; plotting to unconstitutionally remove the President and First Secretary of the party from office; orchestrating the ‘bhora musango’ campaign to the detriment of the party’s interests; orchestrating factionalism in the party thereby causing acrimonious divisions; abusing party structures to create a competing centre of national power; engaging in behaviour unbecoming of a Vice-President and second secretary of the party; systematically collaborating and colluding with the enemy in a manner that undermines the party and risked bringing it into disrepute; engaging in activities that smack of corruption, engaging in criminal abuse of office, impugning, maligning and undermining the party and the President and providing leadership to the regime change agenda and Fifth Column politics within Zanu-PF.”
A National Disciplinary Committee report presented to the Politburo said Mujuru began working against the party’s interests and President Mugabe together with her late husband General Solomon Mujuru ever since she was elected VP in 2004.
The report added that the former Vice-President had also launched plans to illegally remove President Mugabe at the 6th National People’s Congress and/or have him assassinated.
“During the run up to the 6th National People’s Congress, multi-sourced intelligence exposed a plot to boo the incumbent First Secretary and President of the Party and therefore, purport to oust him by acclaim of the gathered delegates at Congress.
“Intelligence at hand also pointed to a subplot to assassinate the President in case the approach failed to oust him,” added the report.
The party had to demonstrate that it is above individuals and unbridled ambition by disciplining her firmly. A suspension could have been possible if she was a junior party member before she was reduced to being a card-carrying member last year and took her initial punishment with dignity and discipline. But because she was once at the top yet continued to behave petulantly, her blameworthiness was greater. Thus an expulsion was most appropriate.
Everyone knows that Mujuru still has some lingering support at some levels in the party. But those still backing her after such an enormous party action against her and some of her strongest backers need to realise that they are walking to their own demise.
For those who are already out, we implore the party to strike back at Sibanda, Gumbo, Mutasa, Mliswa and company. The cabal must be taught that Zanu-PF is a strong, serious party that has a responsibility to defend itself from unwarranted attacks.
Online Reporter