Source: Mutsvangwa savages Mujuru – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 22, 2016
FORMER Vice-President Joice Mujuru allegedly failed to protect women combatants abused by senior male officers during the war of liberation, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa has claimed.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Mutsvangwa reiterated to a local radio station in a live broadcast this week that Mujuru had also “bought the lie” that she single-handedly downed a Rhodesian army helicopter at the height of the bush war that brought majority rule 36 years ago.
“Those of us who had come from the university, we ended up in jail — myself, Zororo Duri (now late), John Mayowe (late) and Sobusa Gula-Ndebele — for resisting abuses on young girls. She (Mujuru) could have done more as a commander and I hold that against her,” Mutsvangwa said.
“She could have done more to stop the abuse of girls at Nyadzonia, but she did not.”
He claimed the likes of Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri went through hell.
“When women today say they are free, it is not a gift or charity from Zanu PF. They showed their valour, they earned it. I feel proud that someone who was in the field, like Vivian Mwashita, was declared a national hero. It will help change the narrative because some think women went to war as concubines. It’s nonsense,” Mutsvangwa said.
“Muchinguri was beaten every day at parade. We did not understand then as she was accused of being a spy, only to find out she was refusing abuses by senior commanders and we challenged that.”
He added: “The perception that has been created is that women were there to support men and most of those at the national shrine, not to say they did not deserve it, but there seemed to be a growing trend that only wives of revolutionaries would make their way there.”
But ZimPF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said it was a personal matter.
“As a party, we do not want to be dragged into a personal fight between Mujuru and Mutsvangwa, so we will not comment,” he said.
Mujuru’s personal assistant, Sylvester Nguni, would also not say much: “If the party spokesperson has said we will not comment, then that is what we say.”
Asked if he still stood by his claims that reports that Mujuru had downed a “chopper” during the war were lies, Mutsvangwa replied in the affirmative.
“I stand by that. She knows it, she never did that (downing the chopper). This is an effort to puff up her ego and she bought into the lie. She was my commander, the first trained woman commander.
“But as a comrade, she was as good a fighter as anyone. I have nothing against her record as a comrade. It is not so much against her, but if someone tries to make themselves a super hero and claim to have been better than those who died, we will not accept that. Respect your comrades; do not try to be anymore better than them,” Mutsvangwa added.
Legend has it that Mujuru, who now leads newly-formed opposition party ZimPF, took down a Rhodesian chopper during the war in a heroic feat that was initially incorporated into the country’s historical narrative.
But following the fall-out that led to Mujuru’s expulsion in the run-up to the Zanu PF congress in December 2014, Zanu PF apparatchiks, including Mutsvangwa, began to dismiss the assertion.
Mujuru, for her part, has told international media it was true that she brought down the enemy helicopter during the war, even going to the extent of describing the incident graphically.
COMMENTS
While Mutsvangwa is talking about Injury, can he elaborate also on How the Crocodile got his name. Is there merit to story or it is one of those tall tell tales? Now that there is little food left on the table, the former friends of Chimurenga are beginning to tell on each other. There is so much dirt it can cover most of Zip land mass.
Of course, its common knowledge that most, if not all, of zanu pf narratives of liberation war are nothing more than hogwash. In fact, every Jack & Jill in the streets knows it. May be, the only exception could be the brain-washed & brain-dead Border Gezi Green-Bombers.
So, big questions include:
1)Why is Mutsvanga now so obsessed with this Joice Mujuru lie, after having manufactured & nurtured it for more than 30 years as zanu pf-collective; when everything else is a lie anyway?
2) Is he not obliviously telling us the obvious, which is: “only members of zanu pf have licences to lie, and even murder for that matter; and once you are out the your shenanigans can be willy-nilly exposed by those who will still be within the mafia organization?”
3) Is it not the reason he (Chris) recently had to go down on his knees & profusely apologized to the one and only centre- of-power in zanu pf?
4) What is it that this garrulous idiot (Chris) is afraid would be exposed once he is out of zanu pf? ………….
just leave the widow alone mr chris that widow willbe your boss soon stop those cheap politic.she is the only hope for zim
Sour grapes. Mutsvangwa is battling for relevance since his ouster by the commander in chief. At least Dr Mujuru has moved on by forming her party. Truth be told, most of these so called cdes in arms were hiding in frontline states or socialist/communinist nations during the war duration. Some were hid by villagers, so the war was fought by everyone who was in Zimbabwe not abroad eg villagers, mujibha and chimbwido and a few brave cdes. The likes of Mutsvangwa were getting their fancy education. To those who fought the Rhodesian forces and survived, they are now senior citizens trying to get on with their lives.
ko…what does it tell us about the commanders abuse of girl comrades. …….mutsvangea s now exposing a lot of which if all things being fair panofanira kunyatso tariswa zvakanyanya..
Comrade Mutsvangwa,can you please inform the Zimbabweans whether the Salisbury fuel tanks were bombed by ZIPRA forces or ZANLA forces. It was an important event which might have forced the Rhodesian government and the British Government to seek for negotiation with guerrilla leaders