via Mugabe gives hint of party troubles – DailyNews Live 23 May 2015 by Lloyd Mbiba
HARARE – President Robert Mugabe yesterday intimated that factional fights in his party were affecting him.
Apologising for coming four hours late to the commissioning of farming equipment sourced under the Brazilian More Food for Africa Programme for Zimbabwe, Mugabe said he slept late the previous night because of a protracted Zanu PF politburo meeting that ended in the middle of the night.
“May I begin by apologising profusely for the delay of the programme.
“It’s a programme that was meant to follow a protracted meeting we had last night which went up to midnight.
“I was only able to get my sleep at 4am this morning. But not because of that only, I also had my daughter and husband to meet after the meeting and they left at 3am,” he said.
“So I had my bath and by the time I threw myself to bed it was 4am. I was therefore late in getting up. But I had not known the programme which is part of some of the irregularities that happened in the domestic affairs of our party.
“But it is it, here we are to launch one of the most important programmes in agriculture that we have had in our party,” he added.
Party insiders briefed the Daily News yesterday that the politburo meeting was very protracted as the Harare East issue took centre stage.
“(Cleveria) Chizema tried to have the party decision backing Mukupe reversed. She fought very hard but she lost in the end.
“Mnangagwa was the one who told her that Mukupe won fairly and if (Mavis) Gumbo had a problem she should have appealed right after following party channels,” said one source.
“However, shocking was that Ignatius Chombo was quiet during the discussion on Harare East.
“He never said anything.”
The party also expelled seven members, while 13 others were suspended for five years as the revolutionary party continues to rid itself of people linked to the sacked Vice President Joice Mujuru.
In Mashonaland East, those expelled from the party were former provincial chairman Ray Kaukonde and former women affairs secretary for the commissariat Olivia Muchena, while in Masvingo former secretary for production and labour Dzikamai Mavhaire, former deputy secretary for economic affairs Kudakwashe Bhasikiti and former central committee member Claudius Makova were also booted out.
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