'Provincial chairs' dismiss Mujuru support claim

UNDER fire Vice President Joice Mujuru has all but confirmed her ambitions at Congress saying she was ready to serve the country in any capacity if elected by the people whom she thanked for their support in full page advertisements she placed exclusively in the private media yesterday, drawing outrage from people who urged her to focus on clearing the allegations laid against her stemming from corruption to treason.

Her sidekick, suspended Zanu-PF national spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, recently revealed that their agenda at the elective Congress set for next month was succession.

Striking a presidential pose and tone, VP Mujuru addressed her "fellow citizens and countrymen".

Said VP Mujuru: "Leaders are elected by the people to serve the people. I am an elected servant of people of Zimbabwe and as such, I can only serve this country in any capacity, when elected by the people.

"Unbridled ambition, misplaced self righteous adulation and hubris, offends the Lord and can only lead to the ruin of the person(s) and the party and therefore Government."

She signed off her statement by thanking "the people of Zimbabwe for your continued support".

But Zanu-PF supporters in the provinces yesterday said they did not support VP Mujuru's "devious" plans to oust and even assassinate President Mugabe to assume the presidency.

"In Matabeleland North we are behind President Mugabe and women in the province are behind the First Lady," said provincial chairman Richard Moyo.

"We don't know where she (VP Mujuru) thinks she is getting the support from because in Mat North we have nothing to do with her, which is why they did not even bother to advise us of their plans to assassinate the President."

Midlands acting provincial chairperson Kizito Chivamba said his province did not support corrupt and "dangerous" politicians.

"In Midlands, we don't do that and we don't know who she is talking about when she says she has support unless if she means Rugare Gumbo and Cephas Msipa in this province," he said.

"We don't think she is qualified to say she has support unless if she means from those two. We don't support a corrupt person using money and other people to want to assassinate President Mugabe. We didn't know that she is such a cruel and evil woman," he said.

Masvingo acting chairperson Paradzai Chakona weighed in saying: "We can't support a person who wants to assassinate the President so that they get into power by force. We only support leaders who come through a democratic process.

"She has a number of charges against her, some of them of a treasonous nature as well as corruption. She should first concentrate on clearing her name. In the absence of that, she has no moral ground to claim that she has support and that she wants to rule Zimbabwe.

"We don't know who she is referring to when she says she has support because in the case of Masvingo we are the leadership, but we don't know about the support that she is talking about. It is just a political statement by a person who is desperate for power."

Bulawayo acting chairperson George Mlala said the province had booted out the executive that supported VP Mujuru's quest to unconstitutionally unseat President Mugabe.

"We are not taking those people back and we are not going to allow them to go to the congress because they have an agenda," he said. "We are aware that they are sponsored and that they have a devious agenda when we go to the congress.

"We are totally against unconstitutional means of removing the Government. Our position is that the President was given a new five-year mandate to lead Zimbabwe, so why should he be removed?" Mlala asked.

Mashonaland West acting chairperson Ziyambi Ziyambi said: "We went to the elections and elected President Mugabe to lead the country. We are barely half way so why should we be talking about another leader?

"Nobody in Mashonaland West supports her except rogue elements like Temba (Mliswa) whom they have planted. We don't know where she is getting those lies that she has support. We are 100 percent behind His Excellency, we elected him so why should we not allow him to rule?"

Acting chairpersons in Harare and Matabeleland South Cdes Christopher Chigumba and Rapelang Choene declined to comment, saying they had not read the VP's statement.

Mashonaland East acting chairperson, Phineas Chiota, who took over from Ray Kaukonde yesterday said he was yet to familiarise himself with the developments in the province.

Efforts to get comments from Mashonaland Central chairperson Luke Mushore and Manicaland acting chairperson Samuel Undenge were fruitless.

A cross-section of Zimbabweans also blasted VP Mujuru for her statements asaying that was a greater call on President Mugabe to show her the door.

"What the people advising VP Mujuru are missing is that until 2023 when the provision for running mates comes into force, any vice president serves at the pleasure of the State President who is the only one subjected to universal suffrage. Mai Mujuru is just like a senior minister in Government which is why she takes her oath before President Mugabe not the Chief Justice," said Ms Letwin Ncube from Gweru.

Trysense Vheremu from Masvingo said VP Mujuru was living in cloud cuckoo land by mistaking the comments of MDC-T supporters in the private newspapers and on social media for support.

"MDC-T supporters failed to win an election for Tsvangirai over the years, I do not know where Mai Mujuru gets the idea that, MDC-T supporters can win her any contest."