via ‘Mujuru apologised to Nkomo over Econet insult’ – NewsDay Zimbabwe March 4, 2016
Former Vice President Joice Mujuru’s newly-launched Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) has responded to “efforts to resurrect her misunderstanding” with the late nationalist Joshua Nkomo over awarding Strive Masiyiwa a licence to launch telecommunications company Econet.
BY KHANYILE MLOTSHWA
ZimPF information and publicity committee chairperson, Methuseli Moyo, told NewsDay that Mujuru had apologised to Nkomo and the nation at that time.
“The apology was accepted,” he said.
Moyo said it was hard to understand how “someone decided to resurrect that issue.”
“If they have the energy to resurrect insults against the Ndebele, then they must resurrect all the insults against the Ndebele, and (President Robert) Mugabe tops the log, followed by Grace (Mugabe),” he said.
In 1997, Mujuru, who was then the Information, Posts and Telecommunications minister, turned down an application by Masiyiwa for a licence to operate a cellular network company. Masiyiwa sought the assistance of Nkomo, the Vice-President then.
Mujuru defied Nkomo’s instructions to award Masiyiwa the licence, suggesting the Econet owner could have taken advantage of the Vice-President’s old age and diminishing mental faculties.
Nkomo died two years later aged 82.
“If people were really angry about insults against the Ndebele, the person they should be angry at is Mugabe, who said Nkomo was a cobra,” Moyo said.
“Mugabe has called the people of Matabeleland cobras, and recently he said the Kalanga are uneducated.”
Mugabe described Nkomo as a head of a snake that needed to be crushed in the heated days leading to the Gukurahundi carnage in Matabeleland.
In fear Nkomo fled to the United Kingdom.
Mugabe has never publicly apologised for the Gukurahundi killings, but at the burial of Nkomo in July 1999, he expressed regret, describing the five years between 1982 and 1987 as a “moment of madness”.
“They have certainly scored an own goal here. They thought they were attacking Mujuru when they were attacking Mugabe indirectly,” Moyo said.
The Nkomo family, two years ago, said they had forgiven Mujuru for describing the late nationalist as senile.
There had been suggestions that Mujuru’s slur would be her major handicap, particularly in Matabeleland were Nkomo is revered, triggering the strong response from her party.
COMMENTS
Methuseli- you are a political globetrotter. whereever there is new political ground you are there. will it ever work for you-i wonder.
We dnt nid mujuru s apology here in matland y was she silent all this years.she shld jst save it we dnt nid it and we will neva forgive or forget abt wat she said
She is lying! She did not grant Strive Masiyiwa a licence to start Econet because in her own words they (either Mujuru or ZNA PF) wanted 51% of the shares and a US$25m payiut to grant the licence. Who told me this, a lawyer who helped Strive Masiyiwa fight the case in court. Joice Mujuru is now trying to seek redemption for her previous egregious behaviour. She is ZANU PF in different clothing, Zimbabwe needs to be rid of corrupt politicians.
@Kevin, slow your row and get all the facts before you make statements you cannot prove. So you genuinely believed a “lawyer”, who breaks attorney client privilege? Did he also tell you whom Strive’s partners were, on the cel phone concept that did the lobbying to get the Zimbabwe government to be even open to the idea of a GSM network in Zimbabwe and how that partnership ended? Did the same lawyer also tell you about Retrofit and how it got its business from PTC? There is also a dirty history behind your now cleaned up, “nice guy”. Bhora pasi, the story was about Nkomo. FYI, only the government, not an individual Minister approved licences of operators. There is a whole string of people and level approvals in a Ministry before you get to the Minister. Issuing a license is not like issuing a personal cheque that you the owner just sign and handover. There is an office file with several approval layers before the single final signature on the licence document that the operator receives. Unless you actually, know first hand the information that was used to decide against issuing the licence to Mr Masiyiwa’s company, its wise to not make statements you cannot personally back up? Let Mujuru do her thing and try help rescue Zimbabwe’s, that is all that matters right now. Strive has his billions, good for him. Lets move on. Zimbabwe is in a mess with mismanagement, drought and near hunger. That needs work now. Mujuru with ZPFP is an option on the table for the people of Zimbabwe to consider a way out of their current challenges. If you do not want to be part of a solution and just spew negativity, please keep your incomplete facts to yourself and let those that want move on, do so.
This woman is like Hilary Clinton. One big fat liar! Her attempt to pull the wool over Zimbabwean eyes appears to be working. Her leaving ZANU PF is a big fat trick by Mugabe and ZanuPF to keep the reign of power amongst themselves when the old man dies. Wake up Zimbabwe wake up
Joice was sitting on papers awaiting a kick back. Today she is a “SAINT” I do not understand???????