Phetshu quits Zanu-PF

Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
FORMER Matabeleland South war veterans’ chairman and Zanu-PF provincial member Mr Jabulani Phetshu has resigned from the revolutionary party.

Mr Phetshu submitted his resignation letter at the party’s Insiza District office last week for onward transmission to the provincial offices in Gwanda.

Contacted yesterday, Mr Phetshu said he was not yet prepared to discuss the matter.

“I don’t have time to talk about that, I want to rest now but when the time comes that I must come out and say something, I will talk about it. For now I can neither confirm nor deny that I have resigned from the party,” he said.

However, Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairperson Cde Rapelani Choene said he had heard about the resignation.

“I heard from the Insiza District office that they have a letter where Phetshu is resigning from both the party and the war veterans association. However, I can’t comment on the matter now until my office receives that letter and I read it myself,” he said.

Mr Phetshu was suspended by Matabeleland South province ahead of the Zanu-PF congress in 2015 over a number of allegations.

He was suspended along with former Matabeleland South chairperson Cde Andrew Langa and a number of party officials over allegations of working with a cabal linked to axed Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru.

Dr Mujuru and some senior party members, including Mr Didymus Mutasa and Mr Rugare Gumbo, were expelled from the party for allegedly plotting to topple President Mugabe.

Mr Phetshu was among a group of war veterans who convinced former national war veterans chairman Mr Jabulani Sibanda, another ally of Dr Mujuru, to contest the party’s chairperson post at the 2014 congress.

At the time, Mr Phetshu argued that no one among the senior party leaders from PF Zapu at the time had indicated interest in the post, paving way for the then war veteran’s leader to take up the post.

Addressing the Bulawayo Press Club last Friday, Zanu-PF Politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo said the plot by Dr Mujuru to take over from President Mugabe shrunk the government policy space.

He said instead of supervising success, Dr Mujuru was supervising failure in a bid to succeed President Mugabe.

“What we can now confidently describe as the Mujuru factor emerged and caused pre-occupation. This was the first major attack that shrunk the policy space because clearly the Mujuru factor had a different agenda of grabbing power,” said Prof Moyo.

“The people associated with that cabal were not preoccupied with policy implementation, they were preoccupied with power grabbing and it is very dangerous the day after an election to be preoccupied with grabbing power. It quickly builds inertia in the system especially where you can create impressions that have trappings of believability.”