via Mutasa faces abuse of office charges – New Zimbabwe 24/01/2015
ZANU PF hawks fighting to destroy what remains of ousted Vice President Joice Mujuru’s political influence are reportedly building a criminal case against her top and vocal backer Didymus Mutasa.
Former Zanu PF politburo member Patrick Zhuwao let the cat out of the bag weekend when he said former Zanu PF Manicaland chair, Mike Madiro could soon lodge a suit against Mutasa.
Madiro was in 2013 arrested at Mutasa’s instigation for allegedly stealing 10 beasts that were meant for President Robert Mugabe’s birthday bash, charges he was later acquitted of.
“I think there is quite a significant number of people that may then be in a position to actually sue him in his individual capacity in terms of him having deprived people of their own liberties,” Zhuwao told NewZimbabwe.com.
“We talk specifically of Mike Madiro who was arrested for making some arrangement for a provincial conference.”
When Madiro’s case was still fresh, party rivals accused Mutasa, then Zanu PF secretary for administration, of attempts to purge party rivals who stood between him and his political ambitions.
Among these were Dorothy Mabika, Madiro’s former deputy, who was arrested on similar charges with her boss.
Both are said to be aligned to the rival Emmerson Mnangagwa faction, which now has an upper hand in the drawn out battle to control the party.
Following the Zanu PF purge now commonly referred to as, the Tsunami, which saw several influential party leaders suspended with some sacked, Mutasa has declared the ousted group was plotting a strong comeback to reclaim their positions within the fractious party.
He has declared that the December congress was in violation of the party’s constitution and has threatened to challenge its legality in court.
But Zhuwao said Mutasa should tread carefully, aware he also has skeletons in his own closet.
“Nyati (Mutasa’s totem) has a legitimate case to answer for. If people manage to get together, he would have more than he bargained for,” said Zhuwao one of the few radicals fighting to annihilate Mujuru’s influence.
He added: “Cde Madiro was arrested and he was acquitted for stock theft and that was a frivolous charge.
“So those are the things that vaMutasa has done; he has abused his position of secretary for administration; so he needs to be very clear about some of those issues before he then wants to go start making problems for people. There are people who can make problems for him.”
Information minister and party strategist Jonathan Moyo, a perceived Mnangagwa ally, this past week declared they were watching every single step the Mujuru group was making in attempts to resuscitate its waning political influence. Moyo vowed to crush the moves.
Mujuru has corruption charges already hanging over her head. This, observers say, is a drawback to her envisaged bid to fight political oblivion.
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