Source: Mutodi faces Zanu PF exit – DailyNews Live
Tendai Kamhungira 4 March 2017
HARARE – The Zanu PF enemies of vocal businessman-turned-politician,
Energy Mutodi, moved closer to kicking him out of the warring ruling party
– after its Mashonaland East executive held a disciplinary hearing in the
wake of his recent statements on the former liberation movement’s burning
succession riddle.
The outspoken Mutodi, a self-confessed supporter of Vice President
Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been critical of President Robert Mugabe’s
unwillingness to groom a successor – blaming the 93-year-old for allegedly
fuelling Zanu PF’s ugly tribal, factional and succession wars.
“The hearing has ended and there is no ruling yet.
They said they will advise me,” Mutodi told the Daily News yesterday,
adding the panel that had presided over his case appeared clueless about
the law.
Mutodi was slapped with a litany of charges by his Zanu PF comrades in
February, weeks after images of him with Mnangagwa holding a coffee mug
were made public.
Since those images surfaced, where Mnangagwa was seen holding the coffee
mug inscribed with the words “I Am The Boss”, the VP’s party foes have
gone to town about the issue, interpreting it as his open statement that
he harbours unbridled presidential ambitions.
Matters were not helped when Mutodi seemingly stoked the raging fires
further, when he implored Zanu PF to hold a special congress to choose
Mugabe’s successor.
It was in the wake of these statements that the Mashonaland East Zanu PF
executive summoned him to appear before a disciplinary hearing, to answer
myriad charges.
“The hearing is to consider and discuss disciplinary allegations of
misconduct charges that include undermining the authority and powers of
the national people’s conference to declare the president of the party
elected at the congress as the State presidential candidate of the party,
as outlined in the Zanu PF constitution of 2014, Article 6 on membership
section 33 (3).
“If you are found guilty of the allegations . . . then we may recommend
disciplinary sanctions, including suspension and cancellation of your Zanu
PF membership,” read the letter which contained the charges which Mutodi
was answering to yesterday in Marondera.
The ruling party is deeply divided mainly over its unresolved succession
riddle, which has split the former liberation movement right through the
middle – with the Team Lacoste faction rallying behind Mnangagwa’s mooted
presidential aspirations, and the Generation 40 (G40) group rabidly
opposed to the Midlands godfather succeeding Mugabe.
In January, Mutodi threw the cat among the pigeons when he implored Zanu
PF to hold an extra-ordinary congress to choose Mugabe’s successor.
He claimed then that Mugabe had become so unpopular in Zanu PF that “99
percent” of the party’s members now wanted him to resign before the
eagerly-anticipated 2018 national elections, as there was allegedly no way
that the nonagenarian could win elections against the popular Tsvangirai.
“Mugabe must retire. What we must be discussing now is how we share power
in Zanu PF post-Mugabe.
“It’s up to Mugabe himself to be really thankful to his loyalists who have
helped him to remain in power for this long and not the opportunists who
praise him during the day and denigrate him during the night,” Mutodi
said.
This week Mutodi, while welcoming Mugabe’s hint that Zanu PF could hold a
special congress if he felt he was no longer able to continue, said it was
unimaginable that anyone would want the nonagenarian to stand in the 2018
elections.
“Since he (Mugabe) has said he does not want to impose anyone on the
people, the elective extra-ordinary congress is the only way to go.
“We cannot fathom the fact that some amongst us are still calling for him
to stand in 2018. Surely when do they want him to rest? A good leader
cannot plan to rest in his grave. A good leader earns respect by allowing
others to lead while he takes rest.
“A bad leader, however, thinks that no one is better than himself. When
Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United with the best premier league
record, he was not too old to lead but he realised that he needed to rest
and give others a chance,” Mutodi told the Daily News.
“Nelson Mandela was also not too old to lead when he retired for (Thabo)
Mbeki. The same can be said about Sam Nujoma, Julius Nyerere, (Ian) Khama
and even (Eduardo) Dos Santos of Angola who will not seek re-election in
2018,” he added.
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