'Jonathan Moyo's fate to be decided by the people,' says Zanu-PF

The fate of the Information Minister behaving in a manner unacceptable to Zanu-PF would be decided by the people, says party spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo.

The Politburo met last week and discussed Jonathan Moyo's 'anti-Zanu-PF and divisive behaviour', he said.

Though no names were mentioned, the Politburo and President Robert Mugabe recently expressed concern at a highly educated Information Minister who was the exact opposite of the late ex-Information Minister, Nathan Shamuyarira 'who did not work against interests of the party'.

Gumbo told The Zimbabwean that since the Politburo and President Robert Mugabe had made their concerns clear, it was up to the people to decide the way forward.

"Yes, the party's highest decision making body discussed the issue and President Mugabe made his position clear at the funeral of the late Nathan Shamuyarira.

"I cannot talk about what the president will do as the head of state, but at party level the fate of the minister in question would be decided by the people," said Gumbo, refusing to elaborate.

Moyo is accused of reshuffling partisan staff at the state controlled media and replacing them with MDC.

Addressing mourners at Shamuyarira's Borrowdale residents in Harare, Mugabe said it was disturbing to have a minister of information wanting to put one person against the other.

"Vese vakomana vataivanavo wachitungamirira mapepa 'for instance' wakatandwa kuchiiswa we MDC imi Makati tonho, muchifunga kuti arikutiitira zvakanaka.

"The devil is inside," Mugabe said, apparently referring to Moyo, Minister of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services.

Mugabe described Shamuyarira as a former minister who put across views of the party to the people through the paper.

Observers said Moyo created enemies in Zanu-PF by his expose of the obscene salaries at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation and other state enterprises.

Bad relations between Moyo and his Zanu-PF colleagues were allegedly worsened by uncharacteristic critical news coverage by some state controlled newspapers, at a time Zanu-PF factionalism was a hot issue in the media.

Mugabe's criticism of Moyo set the tone for possible party uprising and dismissal of the spin doctor from government ahead of the coming Zanu-PF elective congress.

Alexander Rusero, a respected media analyst, noted that Moyo could be victimised for trying to bring in a new professional trajectory of doing things in the public media against Zanu-PF policies.

Zanu-PF against media reforms

Rusero said Mugabe's statements about Moyo revealed that he (Mugabe) was the Alpha and Omega of Zanu-PF and was not prepared for reforms which served national interests.

According to Rusero, Zanu-PF exposed its preference to recruit media workers along party lines at the expense of merit.

"People should not read much in Mugabe's criticism of the information minister, since Moyo is a shrewd politician who would survive objects thrown his direction.

"It is Zanu-PF which needs Moyo's strategist skills more than Moyo needs Mugabe's party," said Rusero, indicating that Moyo would not lose sleep over the accusations.

Rusero described Moyo as the most ranked intellectual in Zanu-PF, who like the biblical Jonah would survive any challenge.

People should not celebrate the fall of Moyo yet, Rusero said, as the minister would have the last laugh.

Rejoice Ngwenya, a political analyst said Moyo was a natural progressive changer of things who would not want to work in dead institutions like Zimbabwe parastatals.

"Moyo is focused at development within his ministry not at Mugabe's wishes as his paymaster," said Ngwenya.

Mugabe's statements, according to Ngwenya, reflected the nature of morale corrosion and resistance to forward movement in Zanu-PF.

Joyce Mujuru, Zimbabwe vice president took a swipe at individuals behind the graft expose and described them as enemies of the country.

Mujuru told a Zanu-PF Mashonaland West Provincial Women Conference in Chinhoyi that, there could be an inside hand meant to destroy the party through the graft expose.

"There are people who know the role parastatals play towards holding the country together, who would want to fight them and destroy our party and government in the process.

"From the ZBC they would go to other parastatals such as ZESA and ZINWA.

"These people cannot be Zanu-PF. They say if you cannot beat them join them and fight from within. So beware," Mujuru warned participants at the conference.

Speculations are flying thick that Moyo could be using his information portfolio to further party factional interests.

Efforts to get comment from Moyo were unsuccessful as he did not pick his mobile.