Source: G40 courts Jim Kunaka | The Financial Gazette June 23, 2016
A FACTION in ZANU-PF going by the moniker Generation 40 (G40), is reportedly making frantic efforts to lure the party’s former provincial youth leader Jim Kunaka, it has emerged.
Kunaka, who was handed a five-year suspension from holding any position in the party for associating with former vice president Joice Mujuru, who is accused of plotting to oust President Robert Mugabe from power, rose to notoriety as an alleged leader of the shadowy Mbare-based Chipangano gang which for years terrorised opposition party sympathisers in the capital city, Harare.
Kunaka is set to be drafted into the G40 scheme of things as soon as he agrees to certain conditions set by the outfit that is currently frustrating Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s express bid to inherit the country’s top job from President Mugabe when he decides to leave the political arena.
ZANU-PF sources this week said G40, which is fighting a neck-breaking war with another group known as Team Lacoste, reportedly backing Mnangagwa, quickly moved to claim Kunaka before he joined their rivals.
Party insiders told the Financial Gazette that the return of Kunaka, who is reportedly eyeing the Mbare National Assembly legislative seat, could see the revival of Chipangano.
“G40 has not wasted any time taking him on board. Hope is that he could be instrumental in propping their agenda since he is presumed to still command some following in Harare. There is even talk that Chipangano might be revived ahead of 2018,” said a source within the ZANU-PF Harare provincial structures.
Sources also claimed money has already been set aside to fund Kunaka’s upcoming activities after he allegedly held a meeting with key G40 figures at a local hotel on Wednesday last week where he was assured of all the necessary support.
According to insiders, the meeting was reportedly attended by Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Tabeth Kanengoni-Malinga and Patrick Zhuwao, who are all linked to G40 although they deny it.
At the meeting, said sources, it was agreed that Kunaka would start by holding a press conference at which he would attack G40 opponents, chiefly war veterans and those rooting for Mnangagwa to succeed President Mugabe.
According to the sources, the press conference was supposed to have been held on Friday last week, but was aborted after some State security agents reportedly had it blocked.
“As you might figure out, there is tension right now over the recent attacks on the war veterans from the President which they have said was based on a doctored report. That issue has raised security concerns and there is no way he (Kunaka) could have been allowed to proceed with the press conference,” said a source.
Kunaka, however, denied the reports.
“I, of course, came back in the party and I wish to state that I will be working for the party as hard as I can. I, however, would like to state that I was never supposed to address a press conference on Friday last week. There must be some people out there who are already unsettled by my return to ZANU-PF and would want to taint me,” he said.
He also denied meeting Kasukuwere, Moyo, Malinga and Zhuwao, although he said he was in constant communication with Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere, who personally presented Kunaka at a rally in Harare last week and asked party members to embrace him, said this week:
“We have welcomed him back in the party after he expressed willingness to come back home and be with the others. There is absolutely nothing amiss about that. We have even set up an appeals committee to hear cases of all erstwhile party members who might want to reunite with us.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear,” he said, when asked whether it was true that he they met Kunaka last week.
The fiery former chairman of the Harare chapter of the ZANU-PF youth league, once traversed the city in the company of bouncers, who often harassed those with alternative political ideas, particularly members of the opposition political parties.
Kunaka’s Chipangano terror group stood accused of carrying out many atrocities in Harare on behalf of ZANU-PF.
Although the party consistently denied the existence of Chipangano, Kunaka himself later publicly apologised for his deeds claiming he was being used as a pawn by ZANU-PF at the time he committed them.
Kunaka fell from grace in 2014 when, having lost control of the province to Godwin Gomwe during the previous year’s internal party elections, he was swept aside together with Mujuru and an array of her backers.
He then opted to quit ZANU-PF, initially joining Temba Mliswa’s Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy, but soon broke ranks.
He then toyed with the idea of joining Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) party, but instead later announced his reunion with ZANU-PF early this month citing lack of progress at ZPF.
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