adminTendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
FOUR members of the Zanu-PF Youth League were yesterday booted out through a vote of no confidence for fanning factionalism and divisions among the youth ranks and failure to respect the party leadership.
The four are Cdes Varaidzo Mupunga (administration), Prince Shinya (business development and liaison), John Mushayi (provincial commissar) and Myra Ngozo (deputy secretary administration).
Economic Affairs secretary Cde Moses Langa was reprimanded and demoted to deputy secretary for legal affairs.
Speaking to journalists after the league’s meeting at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF Youth League secretary Cde Absalom Sikhosana said the quartet embarrassed President Mugabe who is the party’s First Secretary and the league was left with no option but to drop them.
“We were left with no alternative except to request them to give way because of the gravity of the charges they were facing,” he said. “As the Youth League, we cannot tolerate that. We expect party members to support our leaders, especially members of the Youth League.
“You do not just abuse the person of the President. He is a character we revere and do not expect anyone to abuse him.”
Harare provincial youth chair Cde Godwin Gomwe said the charges against Cde Mupunga warranted expulsion.
He said Cde Mupunga leaked the party’s classified information to foreigners during a trip to South Africa.
“She (Cde Mupunga) travelled with other members of the league that included Cdes Mphehlabayo Malinga (external affairs), Cecilia Chivhunga (deputy commissariat) and Louis Mathuthu when she started to share developments in the party with some foreigners on WhatsApp platform painting a negative impression that all was not well in the party,” said Cde Gomwe.
It is understood that Cde Mupunga was also found guilty of defying the Youth League’s resolution to support First Lady Grace Mugabe’s elevation to the post of secretary for the Women’s League.
“She was accused of fanning factionalism in the Youth League,” said a source who attended the meeting. “She also posted all sorts of negatives disparaging the First Lady in defiance of the league’s stance that it supported the appointment of First Lady as secretary for Women’s League.”
Cde Shinya was charged for fanning factionalism and promoting divisions in the Youth League.
The source said: “Cde Mushayi was charged for inciting party youths to demonstrate against Cde Mugabe in Mashonaland East during her Meet the People rallies.
“It was discovered that he (Cde Mushayi) was also among the mob that disrupted Cde Mugabe’s address in Mashonaland East.”
The source said it was discovered that Cde Ngozo mobilised provincial youth members to revolt against fellow provincial members who supported President Mugabe and the elevation of the First Lady to be the chair of the Women’s League.
“At one point she doctored a vote of no confidence petition which failed to garner enough votes to suspend the provincial youth members who supported President Mugabe,” said the source.
“She was also found guilty of dividing party youths along factional lines.”
Online Reporter