News / National
'Queen Bee' Mujuru axes another bigwig
23 Feb 2017 at 07:39hrs | Views
EMBATTLED Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) leader, Joice Mujuru, has reportedly suspended her party's Bulawayo interim vice-chairperson, Albert Mhlanga, accusing him of sympathising with the seven recently axed founding members, who include Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo.
Mhlanga was allegedly suspended pending investigations during a ZimPF Bulawayo provincial executive council meeting chaired by interim provincial chair, Esinath Bulayani.
The alleged meeting was held at Samuel Sipepa Nkomo's Mukusi offices on Monday.
Sources at the meeting said the party leadership accused Mhlanga of attending a meeting organised by Gumbo and Mutasa's breakaway faction in Harare last week.
They also accused him of holding an unsanctioned meeting which ran parallel with Mujuru's tour of Matabeleland South province last Saturday.
"Issues that were raised in the meeting are that Mhlanga was pushing a factional agenda after he convened a meeting last Saturday, presumably for the expelled Mutasa and Gumbo cabal, where the agenda was to ensure that Bulayani and Mujuru must go. Apparently Mhlanga had allegedly been promised to take over as provincial chair in case of Bulayani's ouster.
"The meeting deliberately coincided with (Mujuru's) Gwanda meeting. He knew pretty well that Bulayani and other PEC (provincial executive committee) members would be away in Gwanda. Even the provincial mobiliser, Nkosinathi Hove wasn't there, yet he oversees structures," a ZimPF source said.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Mhlanga said he was not aware of his alleged suspension.
"I have been attending a lot of meetings lately, and I am not aware of the suspension," he said.
Bulayani and the party's provincial spokesperson, Geneva Sibanda declined to comment over the matter.
Mhlanga was allegedly suspended pending investigations during a ZimPF Bulawayo provincial executive council meeting chaired by interim provincial chair, Esinath Bulayani.
The alleged meeting was held at Samuel Sipepa Nkomo's Mukusi offices on Monday.
Sources at the meeting said the party leadership accused Mhlanga of attending a meeting organised by Gumbo and Mutasa's breakaway faction in Harare last week.
They also accused him of holding an unsanctioned meeting which ran parallel with Mujuru's tour of Matabeleland South province last Saturday.
"Issues that were raised in the meeting are that Mhlanga was pushing a factional agenda after he convened a meeting last Saturday, presumably for the expelled Mutasa and Gumbo cabal, where the agenda was to ensure that Bulayani and Mujuru must go. Apparently Mhlanga had allegedly been promised to take over as provincial chair in case of Bulayani's ouster.
"The meeting deliberately coincided with (Mujuru's) Gwanda meeting. He knew pretty well that Bulayani and other PEC (provincial executive committee) members would be away in Gwanda. Even the provincial mobiliser, Nkosinathi Hove wasn't there, yet he oversees structures," a ZimPF source said.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Mhlanga said he was not aware of his alleged suspension.
"I have been attending a lot of meetings lately, and I am not aware of the suspension," he said.
Bulayani and the party's provincial spokesperson, Geneva Sibanda declined to comment over the matter.
Source - newsday
