Mugabe admits Mujuru impact

via Mugabe admits Mujuru impact – NewsDay Zimbabwe August 8, 2015 by Xolisani Ncube

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday admitted that he lost a number of key Zanu PF members during a purge against perceived supporters of Vice-President Joice Mujuru, saying it was a blessing the ruling party is still intact.

Addressing the Zanu PF central committee meeting yesterday, Mugabe lamented that a number of key party members went with the camp allegedly led by Mujuru.

“We are also meeting in a political context in which the party has had its smooth running environment disturbed by misguided ambitions of individuals, Gamatox, Gamatox, Gamatox, Gamatox,” he said.

“We have lost to Gamatox quite a number of people, some at a very higher level, political level.

“It was not just the top most ones, Mai Mujuru supposedly the leader, Mutasa (Didymus) and Gumbo (Rugare) not just those ones, but we have others under them as well.”

Early this year, Mujuru and a host of senior party members were kicked out of the party for allegedly plotting to dethrone Mugabe through assassination. The ex-VP was replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa and his co-deputy, Phelekezela Mphoko.

Over 140 party activists were either suspended or expelled for allegedly being part of the Mujuru camp, with some Cabinet ministers losing their ministerial jobs after being linked to the Mujuru camp.

Mugabe said the party should guard against “unbridled ambitions” of people who wanted to rise to the top through unscrupulous means.

“The party has its own methods of choosing. So you should watch. Watch out for more of that trend . . . we now have some with unbridled ambitions . . . having ambitions is not bad, but we want unity in the party,” he said.

After the divisive congress, Zanu PF has remained embroiled in bitter factional wars with Mnangagwa tussling it out with a group allegedly called the Generation 40.

The group is allegedly composed of political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo and a host of Young Turks in the party who are said to harbour ambitions of leading the party post-Mugabe. According to Mugabe, the central committee — the most powerful organ outside congress — was supposed to either endorse or reject the disciplinary cases handled by the politburo, which is the management wing for the central committee.