‘Kunaka under probe, seeks Zanu PF protection’

FORMER leader of the Zanu PF militant group, Chipangano, Jim Kunaka, defected from Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) allegedly to seek Zanu PF protection as he is reportedly being investigated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, NewsDay has learnt.

Source: ‘Kunaka under probe, seeks Zanu PF protection’ – NewsDay Zimbabwe June 15, 2016

by Everson Mushava

Well-placed sources told NewsDay that Kunaka was being probed for abuse of office when as a Harare City Council employee, he allegedly used his political influence to take over council bars and did not remit any money to the municipality and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.

“Kunaka was approached by some Zanu PF youths who advised him to rejoin the party and get protection,” a Zanu PF member privy to the development revealed.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Kunaka said he was not aware that he was under investigation.

“If I am under investigation, that will not stop me from joining a party which has direction,” Kunaka said.

The former Harare provincial Zanu PF youth leader announced last week that he had rejoined Zanu PF claiming Mujuru’s party lacked focus.

This prompted ZimPF spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire to immediately claim that the party would “not lose sleep over a rehabilitation escapee who has been abused by Zanu PF for years to perpetrate violence”.

But Kunaka yesterday hit back at Mawarire, accusing the ZimPF spokesperson of being envious of him in exercising his democratic right to choose which political party to belong to. He said he joined Mujuru long before Mawarire supported her and there was nothing he could lecture him that he did not know.

“Then again, let us assume that I went through this alleged rehabilitation, wouldn’t I be entitled to some confidentiality privileges? Mr Mawarire clearly exposes his ZimPF as a party that does not respect people’s rights as any form of rehabilitation is bound under the doctor-patient privilege that prohibits the distribution of patients’ information on a public domain,” Kunaka said.

He said Mawarire’s statement was self-defeating when he said ZimPF rehabilitated the youth when, in fact, the elders of the party had not gone through the same programme.

“That is all in the past now for me, I would want to make it clear to the people of Zimbabwe that I didn’t go under
any form of rehabilitation under Zimbabwe People First . . . If it’s their way of trying to lure donor funds, I think they should try other methods or at least leave rehabilitation to health institutions and other like-minded organisations,” Kunaka said.