News / Local
Zanu-PF has tendencies of harassing and killing innocent people: Dabengwa
19 Dec 2011 at 14:28hrs | Views
The leader of ZAPU, Dumiso Dabengwa says they pulled out of the Unity Accord with Zanu-PF because Mugabe's party was brutal and could do anything including killing to remain in power, .
Speaking at Zapu's 50th anniversary at Barbourfields Stadium on Saturday, Dabengwa also said senior Zanu-PF officials did not want the late Joseph Msika to lead Zapu in the Unity Accord after the death of vice president Joshua Nkomo.
Nkomo died in 1999, 12 years after the signing of the Unity Accord between Zapu and Zanu-PF.
He was replaced by Msika, who on many occasions proved a handful to President Robert Mugabe including publicly threatening to walk out of a Zanu-PF conference.
Addressing Zapu supporters Dabengwa said Zanu-PF wanted somebody they could control other than Msika to lead Zapu after Nkomo's death.
"When Nkomo died Zanu-PF wanted someone they can control to lead Zapu in the unity pact, but he told them to back off," said Dabengwa.
Dabengwa said Msika even gave them the green light to pull out of the Unity Accord with Zanu-PF in 2008. Msika died in 2009 and was replaced by John Nkomo as vice president.
Dabengwa added that his party pulled out of the 1987 Unity Accord with Zanu-PF because of the former ruling party's tendencies of harassing and killing innocent people in order to stay in power.
"They are killers who want to rule this country by spilling blood. In 2008 during the presidential elections they embarked on an operation Long and short sleeve in some parts of the country, where people were having their hands cut off.
"They were killing people in order to stay in power like what they did during Gukurahundi".
"That is when we decided to pull out of the Unity Accord because we don't want to be associated with shedding of blood," said Dabengwa who is a former Home Affairs minister.
Dabengwa said those former Zapu cadres who remained in Zanu-PF should stop lying to Zimbabweans that Nkomo told them to remain there.
"There are some people who are still in Zanu-PF who are going around lying using Nkomo's name. They are lying that Nkomo told them to stay united with Zanu-PF even when people are being killed and Zapu members being neglected," he said.
The former senior Zapu members who are still in Zanu-PF include Vice President John Nkomo, Simon Khaya-Moyo, and Cain Mathema, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, deputy senate President Naison Ndlovu and others.
The former Home Affairs minister also said in true Zapu spirit, the 50th jubilee celebrations demonstrated the freedom espoused in the party.
Delegates from former liberation movements in the Sadc region like South Africa's Africa National Congress (ANC), Swapo, MPLA and Frelimo were present at the celebrations.
Speaking at Zapu's 50th anniversary at Barbourfields Stadium on Saturday, Dabengwa also said senior Zanu-PF officials did not want the late Joseph Msika to lead Zapu in the Unity Accord after the death of vice president Joshua Nkomo.
Nkomo died in 1999, 12 years after the signing of the Unity Accord between Zapu and Zanu-PF.
He was replaced by Msika, who on many occasions proved a handful to President Robert Mugabe including publicly threatening to walk out of a Zanu-PF conference.
Addressing Zapu supporters Dabengwa said Zanu-PF wanted somebody they could control other than Msika to lead Zapu after Nkomo's death.
"When Nkomo died Zanu-PF wanted someone they can control to lead Zapu in the unity pact, but he told them to back off," said Dabengwa.
Dabengwa said Msika even gave them the green light to pull out of the Unity Accord with Zanu-PF in 2008. Msika died in 2009 and was replaced by John Nkomo as vice president.
Dabengwa added that his party pulled out of the 1987 Unity Accord with Zanu-PF because of the former ruling party's tendencies of harassing and killing innocent people in order to stay in power.
"They are killers who want to rule this country by spilling blood. In 2008 during the presidential elections they embarked on an operation Long and short sleeve in some parts of the country, where people were having their hands cut off.
"They were killing people in order to stay in power like what they did during Gukurahundi".
"That is when we decided to pull out of the Unity Accord because we don't want to be associated with shedding of blood," said Dabengwa who is a former Home Affairs minister.
Dabengwa said those former Zapu cadres who remained in Zanu-PF should stop lying to Zimbabweans that Nkomo told them to remain there.
"There are some people who are still in Zanu-PF who are going around lying using Nkomo's name. They are lying that Nkomo told them to stay united with Zanu-PF even when people are being killed and Zapu members being neglected," he said.
The former senior Zapu members who are still in Zanu-PF include Vice President John Nkomo, Simon Khaya-Moyo, and Cain Mathema, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, deputy senate President Naison Ndlovu and others.
The former Home Affairs minister also said in true Zapu spirit, the 50th jubilee celebrations demonstrated the freedom espoused in the party.
Delegates from former liberation movements in the Sadc region like South Africa's Africa National Congress (ANC), Swapo, MPLA and Frelimo were present at the celebrations.
Source - Daily News
