FORMER ZANU PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa has lashed out at First Lady Grace Mugabe, accusing her of being responsible for his expulsion and being a new centre of power in the party. SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Mutasa yesterday said he was not moved by his expulsion, although he said Grace was behind the move.
“There is no doubt that she is a centre of their power,” he said.
“She will soon be placed on the same level as the president.”
Despite his expulsion, Mutasa insisted the present Zanu PF was illegal and he still belonged to the pre-December 2014 Zanu PF, which he said was the real one.
“They have expelled me from the unlawful Zanu PF to which they belong,” he said.
“They are not able to expel me from the original, law abiding and constitutional Zanu PF, which puts people and the country first.
“That is where I belong and shall happily stay.”
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Mutasa, in his remarks, said the God he worships loved him and would protect him.
“The God that I worship loves me,” he said.
“The people of this country with whom I worship love me too.
“So I shall stay happily and fear no evil.”
When asked what his next move was following his expulsion, Mutasa chose to play his cards close to his chest.
“Please be patient,” he said.
“You will see the move when we make it.”
Mutasa and a host of other senior Zanu PF members lost their positions ahead of the party’s congress last year, but he has so far remained defiant, insisting the December 2014 meeting breached the constitution.
For more than a month now, there has been speculation that Mutasa was planning to take Zanu PF to the courts over the manner in which the congress was conducted, but is yet to file papers.
He reportedly wrote to the African Union and Sadc pleading with them to look at the manner in which Zanu PF conducted its congress, something that peeved President Robert Mugabe.
A seven-member committee, which includes Grace, was set up last month to deal with Mutasa’s case.
Interestingly Grace returned to Zimbabwe from Asia, where she was recuperating from an operation on Sunday, meaning the committee sat, deliberated and resolved to expel Mutasa within two days.
Mutasa was expelled together with his nephew, Temba Mliswa.
Former Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo intimated that Mutasa would continue with the legal process challenging his expulsion.
“Of course, it’s the natural thing to do and we are, therefore, continuing with our court action against the party’s decision,” he said.
“It’s very disturbing that even after working in the party for a very long time you can be expelled without a hearing.
“It is not good for the politburo to just fire people.
“It destroys the party. The wounds that are inflicted by them will not heal if people continue to be expelled unconstitutionally.
“It is tragic that people continue to be expelled without hearings.”
Gumbo was one of the party members expelled by the politburo without being subjected to a hearing, as the purge against former Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s allies escalated in the run-up to the party’s December congress.
Mliswa, on the other hand, yesterday said he welcomed the politburo’s decision.
He was, however, optimistic he would bounce back once the dust had settled down.
“Age is still on my side,” he said.
