via allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Goche Gunfire Reports – a Pack of Lies 21 December 2014
The factional fighting in Zanu PF that has claimed the scalps of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and several powerful politicians in the party has taken a new twist amid indications some of the accusations levelled against the ousted party gurus could have been a pack of lies aimed at destroying their political empires.
Fresh details emerged last week showing fired Labour minister Nicholas Goche may never have spoken about wars expected during the just-ended congress or anything to do with the toppling of President Robert Mugabe.
Allegations were pushed hard through the state media, claiming that Goche had told an official at a sugar institute in the lowveld that there was going to be real war at the congress where Mugabe was set to be unseated.
The official, Admore Hwarare, was said to have confirmed this to police investigators after a plot to violently topple Mugabe had been unearthed. But, according to a report made to Police Law and Order, Harare, by Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers’ Union secretary-general, Hwarare, Goche reportedly claimed that there would be a shakeup in the run up to the party’s congress where the “other function (sic)” is going to be “flushed away”. “I have made this report because I was asked to give this information in writing by Assistant Commissioner (Chrispen) Makedenge,” Hwarare said in a statement, copy of which is in The Standard’s possession.
“As a retired captain (of the army) and Zanu PF member, I do not want to lie, so I have provided the true information of what happened during the minister’s visit to Chiredzi,” Hwarare said.
The report was recorded by one Detective Inspector A. Mirimbo on November 25 at 1100 hours at the request of Assistant Commissioner Chrispen Makedenge, head of the CID Law and Order Section. Nowhere in Hwarare’s report is Mugabe’s name mentioned, whether directly or in passing and neither is there any mention of gunfire and the shooting of people before the congress.
This was contrary to reports claiming Goche openly told Hwarare that the alleged coup plotters intended to kill Mugabe before the Zanu PF congress early this month.
Apparently as a result of these reports, Goche was axed from both party and government together with Mujuru, former spokesperson Rugare Gumbo and former Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa on allegations of plotting to assassinate Mugabe and aiding Mujuru to take over as President.
Mugabe then personally confronted Goche over the allegations and despite the minister’s denial, the President went on to chop him out of the party and government.
Goche has since been taken ill and was admitted in the intensive care unit of a Harare private hospital where he was being treated of an undisclosed ailment although rumour had it the former minister had suffered from hypertension.
His present condition could not be determined at the time of going to press. Mujuru, besides being accused of plotting to assassinate Mugabe, was also accused of ineptitude and a litany of other allegations including corruption.
Most of the allegations were made by the First Lady Grace Mugabe and later confirmed by Mugabe as he fired her from the party and government.
The former VP is now an ordinary card carrying member of the party. There are reports that police have instituted investigations into the corruption and other allegations leveled against her so that if evidence is found, she will be prosecuted as ordered by Mugabe.
Mutasa is alleged to have told a girlfriend that Mugabe would be killed if he refused to hand over power to Mujuru while Gumbo was also alleged to have made utterances to the effect that the aging leader would be removed “the Kabila way” if he refused to leave office. Mujuru, Goche, Mutasa and Gumbo have all vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as “ridiculous”.
Several other party heavy weights who include former secretary for commissariat and ICT minister Webster Shamu, former secretary for production and energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire, Francis Nhema the former indeginisation minister and eight party provincial chairpersons and their executive members were also kicked out of their posts for the same allegations. But The Standard gleaned a police report by Hwarare, which appears to show that Goche never mentioned Mugabe’s name.
Goche, according to Hwarare, referring to internal fighting within the labour union, said: “ma in-house nema factions amunoona awa ose haasiri a Hwarare asi ava ne politics mukati. Wait and see the Youth Congress is coming, followed by Women Congress before the main congress in December.
Before the congress you are going to witness as the other faction is going to be flushed away.” Hwarare who is also Zanu PF ex-Masvingo provincial commissar, added: “I just interpreted the statement in relation to the issues concerning ZSMIWS (the sugar labour body).” The Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Union was torn between a faction led by one Jacob Gwavava and another led by Alfred Makwarimba.
Efforts to get comment from Hwarare were fruitless as he was not answering calls the whole week. Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba was also not pickling calls.
According to the statement, the meeting was held at Muteri Lodge in Chiredzi and chaired by Goche. It was attended by Goche’s deputy, Tongai Muzenda, local MPs Darlington Chiwa and Denford Masiya, officer in charge for Chiredzi and two officials from the President’s office only identified as Muza, Saburi and Chikanya and two workers’ union representatives who included Hwarare.
Hwarare said he was told by Chiwa that the meeting was to discuss the day to day running of the Sugar Cane Millers Union. The meeting was supposed to be held at Wild Bar before it was finally shifted to Muteri Lodge.
Hwarare said prior to the meeting, he was not aware of Goche’s visit.
COMMENTS
More Ministers fired by grce Mugabe and he side-kick Robert Mugabe. See the following report from the Sunday Times:-
“Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Sunday fired another two cabinet ministers and five deputy ministers in what appears to be an ongoing purge of ruling party officials sympathetic to former vice president Joice Mujuru.
The removal of Flora Buka, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Sylvester Nguni, Minister of State of in the office of former vice-president Joyce Mujuru was announced in a statement from the chief secretary to the president and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, a Sapa correspondent reported.
Mugabe, 90, is currently on a month’s vacation following a turbulent four months in his ZANU-PF party which culminated in the firing of 59-year-old Mujuru and a number of party stalwarts earlier this month.
They have been accused of conspiring to oust or even kill the longtime Zimbabwean leader.
Officials had warned more top party officials would face the axe in an unfolding political drama that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.
Analysts say Mujuru’s huge popularity within the ruling party represented too much of a threat to Mugabe’s hold on power.
Mugabe’s wife Grace — who is now head of the party’s powerful women’s league — spearheaded a vitriolic campaign against Mujuru in October and November.
Mujuru has been replaced as first vice president by Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose faction has been battling to sideline the widow of former army commander Solomon Mujuru for the last 10 years.
Sunday’s seven were fired because “it had become apparent that their conduct and performance were below the expected standard and outcome,” the statement issued by Sibanda read.
“Finally fired,” said Deputy Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
Fortune Chasi in a laconic tweet.
Reaction to the sacking was swift on social media. “So Bob can still fire ministers from 10,000km away in the Far East?” asked columnist for the …..”
The criminals are really at each others throat in ZANU-PF. They will not charge Mujuru with fraud – chances are that she knows too much about Mugabe’s own looting and might just blurt it out at any court hearing.
The normal would be a deadly car accident or a fire after the poor lady got a deadly injection. For her own safety she must deacmmp from Zimbabwe asap
no
Like a pack of rabid animals feeding on theselves. No sympathy and no mercy, let them destroy each other. They are all equally evil..
“The former VP is now an ordinary card carrying member of the party. There are reports that police have instituted investigations into the corruption and other allegations leveled against her so that if evidence is found, she will be prosecuted as ordered by Mugabe.”
Meaning she was punished without any evidence of all the accusations against her. This is reason enough to impeach the president for gross dereliction of duty. No sane president can take such drastic steps like firing elected subordinates without evidence of wrong-doing and due process.
Hwarare says as a member of Zanupf I DO NOT WANT TO LIE…………HO HO HO HAH HA HA HEHEE HEE HA HA HO HO -Thanks for best xmas joke ever
So, Zanu PF, what is wrong with being an ordinary card-carrying member? Are these not the very people you often call “our people”? Are these not the same people who, allegedly, vote for you? Now it becomes an abomination to be one of them? Talk of the “chefs” and the “povo”!