via Mujuru camp appeals to AU, regrouping 17 December 2014
THE Zanu PF faction headed by ousted vice president Joice Mujuru has vowed to remain in the ruling party and “re-strategize” from within.
An MP belonging to the faction who asked not to be named fearing further victimisation also revealed that the group had dispatched a petition to SADC and the African Union asking them to intervene and help stop the chaos in Zanu PF.
A ruthless purge of the group over unproven charges of plotting a coup against President Robert Mugabe saw provincial party chairmen being removed, cabinet ministers being fired and Mujuru reduced to an ordinary party member.
Harare-based political analyst and seasoned Zanu PF observer, Ibbo Mandaza said the brutal cull effectively side-lined up to 100 of the ruling party’s 160 or so members of parliament.
There had been speculation that the disgruntled group would either seek a coalition with the Morgan Tsavangirai-led MDC or form a separate political party. The MDC has however, said it has no appetite for an alliance with Mujuru.
The former VP also indicated in an interview that she would “die in Zanu PF” and, in line with that, a top member of the group said Wednesday that they would seek to regroup within the ruling party.
“Once you do that (leaving Zanu PF) you are finished,” said the legislator, asking not to be named.
“We will stay in the party and re–strategize. After all we were not ejected from the party but from the central committee and politburo. It’s only one or two of us (Rugare Gumbo and Jabulani Sibanda) who were expelled.
“People should understand that the votes of no confidence against provincial party chairmen only meant that the people were no longer interested in working with us.
“In fact, it meant that they were no longer confident with our leadership and did not mean to say that we were expelled.”
The legislator also said, contrary to media reports suggesting former presidential affairs minister Didymus Mutasa appealed to ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki to help reverse his ouster, the whole faction had dispatched a petition to SADC and the African Union (AU).
The petition, according to MP, was signed by a number of the Mujuru allies and urges SADC and AU leaders to intervene and help reverse the outcome of the just ended 6th Zanu PF people’s congress.
The congress saw the party’s constitution being amended at the eleventh hour to allow Mugabe to choose his deputies and members of the politburo in a move designed to facilitate the elimination of Mujuru and her group.
“It’s a petition which was signed by a number of the ousted cadres who are not happy with the treatment which we got,” said the legislator.
“We want to the continent and the region to see that the current SADC chairperson (President Robert Mugabe) is not a proponent of democracy. He is a hypocrite.”
COMMENTS
“We want to the continent and the region to see that the current SADC
chairperson (President Robert Mugabe) is not a proponent of democracy. He is a hypocrite.”
This is stout coming from Zanu puff. Can you also tell SADC and AU you are not supposed to in government because Zanu puff has rigged and cooked election results?
I just wonder what good will come out of that petition as both these bodies are not merely toothless but are dead dogs. They neither have the ability nor the will to deal with Zimbabwe’s problem..which is Mugabe and his rogue Zanu puff.
Just something for these two dead dogs, in case someone resurrects them, don’t wait to act till there is civil war in Zimbabwe. The factions in Zanu have what all Zimbabwe opposition parties lack, which is support and a following in the military and security services of the country.SO SADC & AU THINK AND ACT FAST.
They are crying foul because the good life has ended. Those toothless dogs the AU and SADC are merely there to show the world what not to do when there is a crisis. It is by time the developed world stopped aiding useless bodies and let the people have a say in who they want .
remember the tyrannic president of zimbabwe is the sadac chairman,so i dont see what mujuru is trying to work out