via Grace juggernaut claims more scalps – Southern Eye 11 September 2015
THE Zanu PF politburo on Wednesday reportedly suspended former acting Mashonaland West provincial chairman Ziyambi Ziyambi for two years and ordered that Bulawayo provincial youth chairperson Khumbulani Mpofu be served with a written warning, instead of being slapped with a three-year suspension recommended by his province.
Mpofu was accused by the youths in his province of extorting money from local businesspeople under the guise of fundraising for party activities.
The disgruntled youths recently wrote to the party’s national youth leader Pupurai Togarepi outlining several allegations against Mpofu, which included backstabbing top party officials. Ziyambi, believed to be a top ally of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been targeted by the faction aligned to First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Party sources said the politburo cited the same reasons forwarded by the provincial executive that passed a vote of no confidence on Ziyambi two months ago.
Ziyambi was accused, among other things, of leaking party secrets to his expelled predecessor, Temba Mliswa ahead of the June 10 by-election in Hurungwe West, and failing to revamp structures in all the districts to pave way for the provincial elections. He was also accused of dishonesty for misrepresenting facts to Grace about the state of affairs in the province.
Sources said the move is meant to block Ziyambi from contesting the chairmanship against the First Lady’s preferred candidate, Jimayi Muduvuri.
“It’s all politics of elimination and the purging is going on for those who seem to be sympathetic to the Mnangagwa faction”, said a Zanu PF source, who declined to be named.
“The politburo also ordered that Education minister Lazarus Dokora be summoned to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee on allegations that he led a group of party members to Mozambique, where he told them to support former Vice-President Joice Mujuru,” the source added.
Mujuru was fired from both Zanu PF and the government soon after the party’s December congress together with several party members on allegations of plotting against President Robert Mugabe.
“Chriswell Mutematsaka (Guruve South MP) was also ordered to appear before the national disciplinary committee for working with Dokora.
“Kwekwe Central MP Masango Matambanadzo would also be summoned for allegedly supporting an independent candidate in the Mbizo by-elections in Kwekwe,” said the source.
Zanu PF national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere refused to comment on the matter.
“I will not comment,” he said, before referring questions to Ignatius Chombo, the party’s secretary for administration. Chombo’s phone went unanswered, but on Wednesday he told journalists that the report of the national disciplinary committee would be released in due course.
Ziyambi said he had not yet received any formal communication on his suspension.
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