Mujuru allies hit back

Politics
Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s camp has written a letter to Sadc leaders asking them to intervene following their inglorious booting out from senior positions, in what is increasingly looking like a long drawn out and acrimonious fight.

Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s camp has written a letter to Sadc leaders asking them to intervene following their inglorious booting out from senior positions, in what is increasingly looking like a long drawn out and acrimonious fight.

SILAS NKALA/ NQOBANI NDLOVU Speaking from India yesterday, former Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa said he was hopeful that their appeal would be heard by the regional group despite their nemesis, President Robert Mugabe, being the head of the regional grouping.

Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru
Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru

“We are sending this issue to Sadc knowing that President Mugabe is the chairman and we trust that the bloc will deal with it accordingly,” he said.

“If it fails, that will be the first time Sadc would have failed to solve such issues. All those who take their cases to the courts, take them because they believe they are doing the right thing and by taking the issue to Sadc, we believe we are doing the right thing.”

Mutasa, who is nursing his sick wife in India, could not be drawn to divulge the contents of his letter to Sadc presidents. However, it is believed that he questioned the conduct of the Zanu PF congress.

The former Zanu PF bigwig is believed to have questioned the party’s constitutional amendments which paved way for Mugabe to pick his successors without an election.

Mutasa, however, denied that he would be seeking asylum in South Africa as reported.

“That is not true,” he said.

 Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutas
Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutas

“Whoever told you that tell him or her that he is lying.

“Zimbabwe is my country. I have no other home, why should I run away from my home?

“If I could visit my country during Rhodesian times, what can stop me from coming home now? What have I done?”

Mutasa said it was unreasonable for someone to claim that he was running away from his country when opposition leaders like MDC-T’s Morgan Tsvangirai still resided in the country despite their open opposition to Zanu PF.

Expelled Zanu PF spokesman and a key Mujuru ally, Rugare Gumbo, said he supported Mutasa’s bid, although he said he was not part of the lobby.

“I am not part of Mutasa’s lobbying, but we support what he has said,” he said.

Asked what they would do if the Sadc initiative failed, Gumbo said: “We will cross the bridge when we get there.”

Gumbo and former war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda were expelled from Zanu PF on allegations they plotted to remove Mugabe from power.

Mutasa and several other Zanu PF officials believed to be aligned to Mujuru were unceremoniously demoted by the party and fired from their government positions.