Go now, war vets tell Mujuru

Takunda Maodza in Masvingo
VICE President Joice Mujuru should give up her position in Zanu-PF after her supporters were linked with a plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, war veterans meeting in Masvingo have demanded.Two of the Cde Mujuru’s closest allies — former Zanu-PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo and current secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa — have recently spoken of assassinating President Mugabe.

President Mugabe has been made aware of a voice recording of Gumbo making the assassination threat, and a report was made to party authorities of Mutasa saying “Mugabe will be shot”.

Investigations also show that another senior VP Mujuru ally, a Cabinet minister from Mashonaland Central, made contingencies for such a scenario during recent meetings with potential hitmen in South Africa and Israel.

Analysts and legal experts say there was no way VP Mujuru can be separated from the intentions of her closest allies.

In their resolutions after a two-day elective congress at Great Zimbabwe that ushered in Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa as the new Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association chairperson, the war veterans said VP Mujuru should heed their call so as to make their job “easy at congress”, a clear indication they wanted her to step down from her positions in the party and government.

“We, therefore, call upon the Vice President of the party to seriously consider her status in the party well before the congress,” said Cde Mutsvangwa while presenting the resolutions. “Judging her position in light of what has been coming out, we look upon her integrity – if it’s still there – to reconsider her position in the party.”

The war veterans said President Mugabe has been “a lone soldier dealing with all these counter revolutionaries some whose names we’ve just mentioned.”

“We shall never again allow a stage where we are onlookers,” Cde Mutsvangwa said.

Last week’s Extraordinary Politburo meeting heard that sometime in October, Mutasa boasted to one of his lovers: “If Mugabe blocks the ascendancy of VP Mujuru to the Presidency at the Zanu-PF Congress, then he’ll be shot.”

Immediately afterwards, the woman reported the matter to party authorities.

The revelation shocked the Politburo – including VP Mujuru’s associates.

And this dovetails with a voice recording of Gumbo who is heard saying: “Kana Mugabe akaramba achipusha Mujuru out tichamubvisa sezvakaitwa (Laurent) Kabila [If Mugabe continues pushing Mugabe out, we will remove him like Kabila].”

DRC President Laurent Kabila was killed by a member of his security team in January 2001.

The Daily News, which has for months been pushing the VP’s agenda on Saturday also reported as a matter of fact that Gumbo had been recorded making the treasonous statement.

Further, in August 2013 — two weeks after President Mugabe’s resounding victory, VP Mujuru told The Daily News on Sunday in an interview at her Ruzambo Farm in Beatrice that she was ready to take over Zanu-PF and government; saying: “We know that the President will soon be 90 and God might decide to call him.”

The war veterans warned business against involvement in Zanu-PF politics by funding elements seeking to remove President Mugabe.

“Those who’re running with [Ray] Kaukonde, from now onwards, that business is over,” Cde Mutsvangwa said. “There’re the ones who’ve been sponsoring rebellion in this country. The patronage of business has been bribing politicians. We’ll not allow it anymore. They must decide if they’re business people or politicians. We’re calling on business people to stop meddling in the politics of Zanu-PF. If they don’t do that, we’ll deal with them.”

Cde Mutsvangwa added: “We want business that focuses on production and production. Our President has been generous with reconciliation. They must cut their umbilical cord with Kaukonde and so on…”

It was also resolved that war veterans should be given positions in the Politburo and in government, with Cde Mutsvangwa saying some people with neither liberation war history nor commitment found their way into decision making positions.

He singled out Minister of State in the President’s Office Cde Flora Buka and accused elements pushing for regime change of facilitating the appointment of such people into positions of authority. “We want undivided power for the President of the party,” said Cde Mutsvangwa. “Only the President must appoint. It must be reflected in the constitution, and not people he appoints to come and challenge him. We’re now saying the President must rule with people who remain faithful to the revolution.”

Also in their resolutions, the war veterans endorsed President Mugabe as the Zanu-PF candidate for the 2018 elections and threw their weight behind First Lady Grace Mugabe as Zanu-PF Women’s League Secretary. The war veterans called on Europe and the US to remove the illegal sanctions they imposed on President Mugabe and the First Family if they were serious about re-engagement with Zimbabwe.

“If Europe is serious that it wants to engage with Zimbabwe, they must stop stigmatising our President. They must stop stigmatising our First Lady,” Cde Mutsvangwa said.

The war veterans said Zimbabwe already enjoyed mutually beneficial relations with economic power houses like China and the ball was in Europe’s court.

“Europe and America must consider the offer from President Mugabe. He said I want to work well with everybody. Reciprocate and let us be friends … the offer is on the table, Europe and America take note,” said Cde Mutsvangwa. The welfare of war veterans was also extensively debated and it was resolved that their needs be attended to as a matter of urgency.

The new ZNLWA national executive members are Cde Mutsvangwa (chairperson), deputy chairperson Cde Headman Moyo (Matabeleland North), secretary general Cde Victor Matemadanda (Midlands), treasurer general Cde Robert Ncube (Bulawayo), political commissar Cde Francis Nando (Masvingo) and secretary for security Cde Malaki Mpofu (Matabeleland South).

Cde Mandi Chimene (Manicaland) was elected secretary for information and publicity, secretary for transport and welfare Charles Mpofu (Harare), secretary for legal affairs Chief Chivese (Mashonaland East) and secretary for women affairs Cde Esther Munyaradzi.

The elections were presided over by Major General Engelbert Rugeje and conducted through a secret ballot supervised by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.