Jabulani Sibanda told to seek audience with Mugabe

A faction of war veterans in support of their embattled leader, Jabulani Sibanda, has taken him to task over his alleged insults on the First Family and instructed him to seek audience with the president to clarify his statements.

After a closed door meeting which was chaired by Sibanda, the war veterans tasked their leader to request a meeting with President Robert Mugabe so that he could explain himself over statements attributed to him regarding the alleged 'bedroom coup by the First Family'.

"The executive has instructed Jabulani Sibanda to go and clarify and explain his position on the misrepresentation issue of the 'bedroom coup' to our patron President Mugabe," read the press statement issued after a closed door meeting.

Sibanda has been under fire from Mugabe for his attacks on the First family, partcularly the First Lady, after he allegedly described her entrance into mainstream politics as a 'bedroom coup'.

The war veterans' leader has reportedly been ousted by a previously "unknown group" the War Veterans' Council of Elders, who accuse him of undermining the First Family.

The group is fronted by former Chitungwiza MP, Patrick Nyaruwata, George Mlala (Bulawayo), Nelson Chadamoyo (Mashonaland Central), George Matenda and Victor Matemadanda, both from Midlands.

Sibanda drew the ire of his peers after he failed to attend the First Lady's rallies, insisting he would not be party to a "bedroom or boardroom coup".

Among the list of charges against the war veterans leader, Sibanda, was accused of blocking Zanu PF supporters from attending a demonstration against Vice-President Joice Mujuru at the party's headquarters last week.

The statement from the Sibanda team claimed that the group of war veterans demanding the ouster of the beleaguered war veterans' leader is not clean at all as some of the members once demanded that Mugabe steps down and even approached former South African leader, Thabo Mbeki, to assist the plot to remove the Zanu PF leader.

"In 2008 there was a Simba Makoni Mavambo (Khusile/Dawn) meeting at Elephant Hills Lodge where Cde Nyaruwata and others attended in support, at the same time denigrating the president of Zimbabwe in support of Makoni," read the statement which was read by James Kaunye.

"It is unfortunate that the situation now portrays the angels as being the devil(s) and the devil(s) being the angels," the group said.

No comment could be obtained from Nyaruwata as his mobile phone was out of reach.

Mujuru, Sibanda, Zanu PF party spokesman Rugare Gumbo and Zanu PF Mashonaland East provincial chair Ray Kaukonde are bearing the brunt of an unprecedented onslaught as the ruling party heads for a watershed elective congress with fights running along factional lines.

Mujuru is said to be leading a faction and so is justice minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa while Sibanda is said to be in the vice-president's corner.