‘Lying’ G40 ministers hit back at Croc

via ‘Lying’ G40 ministers hit back at Croc – NewZimbabwe 25/01/2016

THE Back and forth between rival succession factions in the ruling Zanu PF party continued Monday with ministers accused of lying about their alleged harassment in turn hitting out at the party disciplinary committee which rejected their claims.

Sports Minister Makhosini Hlongwane, Tourism deputy minister Anastacia Ndlovu and Labour deputy minister Tapiwa Matangaidze – all from the Midlands – recently wrote a joint letter to party headquarters claiming they were being harassed by Zanu PF officials in the province.

All three are said to belong to the so-called G-40 faction which reportedly backs First Lady Grace Mugabe to succeed her 92-year-old husband President Robert Mugabe. The G40 project is said to be driven by party heavies Saviour Kasukuwere and Jonathan Moyo.

The trio pointed their accusing fingers at Zanu PF legislators Justice Wadyajena, Owen Ncube Midlands youth chairperson Edmore Samambawa who are all believed to back vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa as Mugabe’s successor.

A Midlands provincial disciplinary probe cleared Mnangagwa’s allies and accused the G40 ministers of lying about the alleged harassment.

Reports claimed all three ministers would be charged with bringing the party into disrepute.

But the ministers called a press conference in Harare Monday where they rejected the disciplinary committee’s findings.

Hlongwane, Matangaidze and Ndlovu said the probe was “a charade disguised as a disciplinary committee hearing”.

They said while waiting to appear before the committee to give evidence after being invited, its chair Daniel Mackenzie Ncube and his team then “ran away with the process and pronounced a verdict much to their alarm and amazement”.

“The pseudo disciplinary committee had not heard, not even one witness on the numerous allegations raised in our letter and our meeting with them as stated by Ncube himself,” said the three in a joint statement.

“The committee believes that it has already conducted a hearing, then the question that begs an answer is why are they playing hide and seek with the complainants.

“If they conducted a disciplinary hearing, why did they not issue prohibition orders as required by the constitution of the ruling party?”

The ministers went on to say that the whole disciplinary process was flawed.

“If the committee had concluded the hearing can it tell the nation, instead of engaging in cheap propaganda,” they said.

“The fact that the Midlands disciplinary committee does not want to hear evidence, as well as their theatrics during the last PCC which were obvious and loud threats directed at us clearly shows their desperate attempts at covering up issues.”

They added that the “shenanigans of the disciplinary committee” vindicate their complaints about harassment of ministers in the province.

“We further state that the issues we raise on our letter are true and we await a day when we will avail our evidence and witnesses before a (national) disciplinary committee so justice can be saved.”

The ministers were backed by Kasukuwere who insisted that the case was far from over.

“People must learn to follow party procedure and processes. The provincial disciplinary committee can only go as a far as making recommendations to the national disciplinary committee, which also recommends to the politburo, for debate and adoption. The politburo too, sends its findings to the central committee for adoption. So, for people to say that they have been exonerated or not, is very premature,” Kasukuweretold Newsday.

“It’s the office of the political commissar which sanctioned the hearings and, as such, we will take the provincial disciplinary committee report to the national disciplinary committee and from there, that is when we will know the way forward.”