Ousted Langa refuses to bow

OUSTED Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairperson Andrew Langa yesterday rubbished a vote of no confidence passed against him on Monday as illegitimate.

Langa was shown the door for allegedly aligning himself with a faction seeking to oust President Mugabe and undermining the First Lady, Grace Mugabe.

Langa's deputy Rapelanga Choene assumed temporary charge of the province after 31 out of 50 members of the provincial executive resolved to give him the boot.

Violence broke out before the Provincial Congress Coordinating Committee in Gwanda after Langa's relatives and supporters assaulted Muridzo Muchineripi who was protesting against the provincial chairman's style of leadership.

 Langa was accused of trying to sabotage the First Lady's rally held in Gwanda last month.

He also faces allegations that he accused the First Lady and Obert Mpofu of corruption.

In a statement yesterday, Langa denied that he tried to disrupt the First Lady rally in Gwanda saying the claim was defamatory. He said the action against him was illegal and disruptive.

Langa said the meeting that ousted him was not properly constituted as no notice was given to structures to attend and discuss the matter.

This was designed not to give the majority of Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) members as well as him an opportunity to challenge the allegations contained in the motion, Cde Langa added.

He said the petition contained a "meaningless list of signatures."

He claimed that of the 50 members of the provincial executive, only 19 signed the motion, adding that even those signatures had not been authenticated and that the other 15 signatures are not from members of the provincial executive.

"Our PCC sat in a sanctioned session and conducted its meeting according to the procedures of our party up to a formal end where members dismissed themselves and left the venue. The so called motion of no confidence was then moved a long time after the end of the PCC meeting and therefore I and the majority do not recognise the meeting that purportedly took place," Langa was quoted saying.

"The motion dwells on hearsay that does not deserve to be repeated. Nevertheless, I will state that I have never disrespected the First Lady as alleged. What is recorded as fact, instead, is my leadership of the province as we were the first to congratulate and support her as secretary elect of the Women's League."

Langa said the allegations of factionalism should be reported to a commission that was set up by the politburo.

Efforts to get a comment from provincial party spokesperson Malachi Nkomo were fruitless as his mobile was not reachable.

Mangwe MP Obedingwa Mguni who referred questions to provincial secretary for administrator William Dewa who said he was driving but was later unreachable.