'Zanu-PF congress was illegal,' says Mutasa

Former Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa who was sacked for allegedly working with former Vice-President Joice Mujuru to oust President Robert Mugabe has described their removal from the ruling party and government as illegal.

Mutasa on Monday said the just ended ruling Zanu-PF party congress was illegal.

Ms Mujuru was sacked alongside eight ministers after they lost their posts in Zanu-PF following a last-minute change to the constitution, giving President Mugabe power to appoint his deputies.

The veteran ruler has since appointed Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and former Zimbabwe ambassador to South Africa Phelekezela Mphoko as the two new vice presidents.

President Mugabe was reported to have left for the Far East at the weekend for holiday, leaving Mr Mnangagwa as the acting president.

Mr Mutasa told a South African publication from India where he is receiving treatment for an unknown ailment that they would appeal to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to intervene on their behalf.

"We refuse to be chucked out of Zanu-PF, which some us have been in for 57 years," he reportedly said.

APPEAL TO SADC

"We appeal to SADC to adopt our position."

President Mugabe currently chairs the regional body.

He told the congress that Mr Mutasa, who was a long serving minister in charge of intelligence, had tried to reach out to him.

Mr Mutasa said the amendments to the Zanu-PF constitution violated the national charter.

"We fought for 'one man, one vote' majority rule, which is not provided for in the current Zanu-PF constitution adopted at the sixth congress," he said.

"It gives all votes to the president alone and violates the supreme law of the country. It is therefore null and void, all that transpired at the sixth congress."

The former minister who was the Zanu-PF secretary for administration before his sacking said the party must revert to the status quo before congress.

"We call on Zanu-PF to work as it was before the sixth congress, which was itself unlawful," he said, adding that "Zimbabweans must remain peaceful as we strive for the democracy that we fought for."

UNPRECEDENTED PURGE

The unprecedented purge also affected eight of the party's 10 provincial chairpersons and State media on Sunday said more ministers were facing the axe.

The president is expected back in Zimbabwe in mid-January.

Mr Mnangagwa, a long-time ally of Mugabe, was sworn in as vice-president last Friday, putting him firmly in line to succeed the veteran ruler.

Nicknamed "Ngwena" (The Crocodile) and renowned for his stern demeanour and tough talk, Mr Mnangagwa has held various senior posts in the country's defence and internal security apparatus.

He played a critical role in Mugabe's crackdown against opposition supporters that claimed thousands of lives in the 1980s, and which became internationally known as "Gukurahundi".

Mr Mnangagwa also helped Mugabe hold on to power during the 2008 elections, which the opposition won in the first round, but which were boycotted in the second round because of widespread intimidation and violence.