Mujuru's party to read riot act to Mawarire, Nyandoro

The Joice Mujuru-led National People's Party (NPP) is set to punish its two senior officials Jealousy Mawarire and Gift Nyandoro, who engaged in a physical public brawl at a hotel in Harare over their policy differences on Thursday.

Nyandoro came out of the encounter the loser and had to be temporarily admitted at a private hospital with a fractured leg.

Incoming NPP vice-president Samuel Sipepa Nkomo yesterday said he was not conversant with the facts leading to the brawl, but action would have to be taken in line with the party's constitution.

"Every institution has rules and I believe generally that if rules are broken there should be consequences. I have not spoken to the two, but I hope the party will sit down and hear from them what really transpired," Sipepa Nkomo said.

Sipepa Nkomo was certain something would be done urgently to protect the integrity of the party.

"Even churches have rules and the NPP has rules and I am sure they would be applied after hearing both sides," he added.

The two officials, clash was due to conflicting statements on coalition talks with the main opposition MDC-T led by former Premier Morgan Tsvangirai they have issued to the media in their different capacities as spokespersons.

Mawarire is the NPP spokesperson, while Nyandoro is party leader Mujuru's spokesman.

It remains to be seen how the party will deal with the officials who were counter-accusing each other of provoking the situation on the fateful day.

Nyandoro told the NewsDay he was attacked without provocation when he had passed through the city hotel to relieve himself.

On the other hand, Mawarire said Nyandoro had attacked him after trolling him at a local hotel where he was attending a workshop.