Mujuru ejection ‘good riddance’

Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau
THE expulsion of former Vice President Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru from Zanu-PF, is good riddance for the revolutionary party which should lodge a complaint with the police so that they can investigate the allegations the party’s National Disciplinary Committee raised against her, political and legal analysts said yesterday.

The Zanu-PF Politburo expelled Mujuru at its meeting on Thursday over several allegations including plotting to assassinate President Mugabe, corruption and criminal abuse of office among others.

Renowned Harare lawyer, Terence Hussein, said Zanu-PF should pursue the charges with the police.

“The allegations are very serious. Formal procedure has to be followed to allow the due process. There has to be a complaint lodged with the police, so that a docket is opened and all the processes begin,” said Hussein.

“The police will not act just because they have heard about the allegations. There has to be a complainant,” he said.

Another Harare lawyer Tendai Toto, concurred with Hussein.

“There has to be a police report for the law enforcement agents to act. She was the Vice President and not immune to criminal prosecution. If the evidence is there, a complaint should be lodged with the police to allow due process,” said Toto.

Political scientist Professor Charity Manyeruke, said the Mujuru saga called for logical conclusion given the gravity of the allegations levelled against her.

“These allegations were raised a long time ago and we don’t understand why the police haven’t moved in to investigate. It’s in the interest of justice and fairness that Zimbabweans know the truth about these allegations.

“We also want to send the correct message that no one is above the law whether one is a Vice President or not,” said Prof Manyeruke.

She said the allegations Mujuru faces are of a serious nature and its incumbent on the police to act.

“The allegations are quite serious and people need to know the outcome of the case. Government, particularly the President has declared zero tolerance on corruption. This mustn’t end up as mere talk,” she said.

Another analyst, Goodwine Mureriwa, said Zanu-PF had shown the way that no one was indispensable and that the party was bigger than individuals.

“If a leader becomes counter-revolutionary and betrays the principles of the party, he or she has to be expelled. Even the President is on record saying everyone should be subservient to the party and he as First Secretary of the party has remained humble, steadfast and principled,” said Mureriwa.

He said even former Zanu leader, Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole, former secretary general Edgar Tekere, fell by the wayside when they betrayed the struggle and principles of the party.

“This is a long standing tradition of Zanu-PF that no one is above the party. The law should now take its course, expulsion was just a political decision, wheels of justice should now start turning,” he said.

Another analyst Professor Nhamo Mhiripiri, said every political party had the prerogative of instituting disciplinary measures against members.

“If the majority of the political party decide that they’ve to remove a member, that’s their prerogative,” said Prof Mhiripiri.

He, however, said what should be asked was whether people had differed ideologically, if not, there was still room for reconciliation just like what happened with other members who were readmitted into the party.

Addressing journalists after the Politburo meeting that lasted nine hours on Thursday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, said the decision to expel Mujuru was reached after presentations by various party structures.

Cde Khaya Moyo said the allegations included 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.

Other allegations pertain to 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.