via Grace’s name used to extort city firms – Southern Eye
ZANU PF Bulawayo provincial youth chairperson Khumbulani Mpofu has reportedly claimed that the cash he collected from various city firms early this year was meant to fund First Lady Grace Mugabe’s programmes.
Nqobani Ndlovu
Mpofu allegedly made the claims after being quizzed by senior Zanu PF o cials at the Davies Hall provincial offices in Bulawayo on Tuesday, party sources said on Wednesday.
His executive was being accused of corruption and extortion leading to a vote of no con fidence by party districts.
The meeting, according to sources, was attended by Zanu PF’s national secretary for youth a airs Pupurai Togarepi, who is heading a restructuring exercise in Bulawayo.
“He (Mpofu) tried to absolve himself by claiming that he was only asking for donations from several companies in order to ful l the First Lady’s activities like attending her meetings,” said a party insider.
“The district committees rubbished his claims and saw to it that he is finally kicked out.
“The district committees were agreed that they would have bought his story if it was last year when the First Lady was holding nationwide rallies.”
Mpofu was then booted out and replaced by Oddie Moyo.
Although Mpofu could not be reached for comment, both Moyo and provincial youth spokesperson Collera Shoko con firmed the development on Wednesday.
“We are now waiting for the party leadership to endorse our decision(to kick out Mpofu),” Shoko said. Suspended Zanu PF Harare provincial youth chair, Godwin Gomwe, is currently on trial over extortion charges.
Since Grace’s meteoric rise in Zanu PF and national politics last year, several ruling party o cials have been accused of using her name to extort money from people.Gomwe and Zanu PF youth league executive members were accused of using Grace’s name to extort housing co-operatives around Harare.
The First Lady is now regarded as a kingmarker in Zanu PF, but she denies accusations that she harbours ambitions to succeed President Robert Mugabe.
COMMENTS
All along we thought ‘extortion’ was as crime in Zimbabwe; is it not? So, if indeed these zanu pf ‘untouchables’ are going around committing crimes shouldn’t it be the duty of the courts to deal with criminals, first and foremost?
Criminals must be brought to book by the courts. Then whatever zanu pf does with its criminals is not of importance to us. We all know zanu pf is a criminal/mafia outfit; and what is at play here is simply factionalism & not fighting criminality.
In any case why is Dis-Grace so uncharacteristically silent while her name is been mentioned in these extortion activities by every zanu pf Tom n Dik. Her silence speaks volumes to all sane people. Its clear that she surely knows something about those goings-on. Most likely the only problem is the youth are often too hungry to submit all of their loot to the queen mother after & every other sanction extortion and looting spree sanctioned by & on behalf of her – publicly declared by the messengers. Varikufira kusasvitsa zvose zvavange vaba kuna MAI chete vana ava.