Mujuru heads to Manicaland

UNDER-FIRE Vice-President Dr Joice Mujuru is today expected to officiate at the reburial of the remains of close to 100 freedom fighters which were retrieved from a disused mine shaft in Old Mutare.

Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Christopher Mushohwe and Zanu-PF provincial chairman John Mvundura confirmed the development last Friday while addressing guests at the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Collaborators' Association (ZILWACO)'s 18th anniversary celebrations held in Odzi.

"The burial will take place in the area known as Matumba 6 in Old Mutare.We invited the Vice-President and the event is open to everyone. We also expect people from other provinces to come," Mvundura said.

This will be Mujuru's second opportunity to address the public following her two-week-long public bashing by First Lady Grace Mugabe where she was labelled as corrupt, inept and unfit to remain in office.

On Saturday, Mujuru scoffed at the allegations and told Zanu-PF supporters at her PhD graduation party in Dotito, Mashonaland Central, that she would not lose sleep over Grace's "false claims".

Some senior Zanu-PF officials in Manicaland described Mujuru's invitation as a calculated move by her sympathisers to counter a spirited campaign to tarnish her political image.

"That group of people she is coming to bury are people who worked under her during the war. She was a commander," one of the officials who refused to be named said.

"This is a follow-up on these comrades and it is very right to do that because it proves she is a liberation war icon. The invitation was initiated by the war vets. This major event will put all those people who said bad things against her to shame."

The ex-fighters' remains were retrieved by gold miners at Matumba 6 mine in July this year.