via Daily News – Mugabe to dump losers
HARARE – Zanu PF heavyweights who lost in the just-ended harmonised elections, among them serial political flip-flopper Jonathan Moyo, have little chance of getting into government following President Robert Mugabe’s vow not to let “losers” get into government.
Mugabe made this clear in June while he was in Japan for the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development.
The 89-year-old leader who has just received a fresh mandate to form a new government after winning the disputed elections, said Zanu PF members who would have been rejected in their constituencies would not be allowed to take part in government.
He said Zanu PF would not go the MDC route which appointed professors Arthur Mutambara and Welshman Ncube who had been “dishonoured” by their people into government as “honourable” ministers.
Last week, Moyo desperately tried to save himself by appealing to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) for a recount of the votes but this was thwarted when the winner, MDC’s Roseline Sipepa-Nkomo took the matter to the High Court.
The court turned down Moyo’s request after the former Information minister reportedly said there were flaws in the Tsholotsho North Constituency where he was contesting on a Zanu PF ticket.
The Daily News has been told that Moyo was dumped by the people of Tsholotsho North following his controversial decision to join Zanu PF when he had been elected in 2008 as an independent candidate.
The people in his former constituency were reportedly angered that he duped them into believing that he had nothing to do with Zanu PF only to rejoin the party after winning his ticket to Parliament.
Moyo was minister of Information and Publicity between 2000 and 2005 and was reportedly eyeing the same ministerial post but if Mugabe stands by his vows, then the former University of Zimbabwe lecturer will be reduced to a mere strategist at Zanu PF.
During his time, Moyo orchestrated the crafting of draconian media laws that saw the arrests, of media practitioners and the closure of several newspapers including the Daily News and its sister paper the Daily News on Sunday.
Businessman, Phillip Chiyangwa who was hoping to make a massive political comeback, lost to MDC’s Peter Mataruse, making him the only Zanu PF candidate to lose in Mashonaland West.
In March 2012 his appointment as the vice chairman for Mashonaland West Province was nullified by Zanu PF’s politburo following a complaint from another candidate who had lost.
Chiyangwa was reduced to a mere card-carrying member.
Not only has this election seen people like Moyo and Chiyangwa being left out in the cold but has seen the resurgence of perennial losers like Amos Midzi (Epworth) and Tendai Savanhu (Mbare).
Midzi was in the Zanu PF government as the minister of Energy and Power Development and later as minister of Mines and Mining Development from 2002 to 2009 but began to systematically lose to MDC candidates.
Other Zanu PF bigwigs including Joseph Made (former minister of Agriculture), Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana and Sikhanyiso Ndlovu were ousted from the race earlier at the party’s primary elections.
However, the Zimbabwean Constitution gives the president powers to appoint up to five non-constituency MPs.
Chapter 5 Section 104 (3) states that “… Ministers and Deputy Ministers are appointed from among Senators or Members of the National Assembly, but up to five, chosen for their professional skills and competence, may be appointed from outside Parliament…”
It remains to be seen what Mugabe will do following his vow that losers will not be allowed into government as they were ‘dishonoured’ by their constituencies.
Besides the losers, Mugabe is also scratching his head on the tribal balancing, appeasement of Zanu PF factions and rewarding young politicians who also made it to Parliament when he makes his Cabinet appointments.
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