War vets want Didymus Mutasa's head

The call by Didymus Mutasa to Zanu-PF members and supporters to rally behind him and ousted leaders accused of plotting against President Mugabe published yesterday is a farewell speech by the shamed leader as his days in the revolutionary party are numbered, war veterans said yesterday.

The war veterans said Mutasa's statements that border on fomenting a rebellion in the party, mean he is also no longer fit to represent Zanu-PF in Parliament as Headlands lawmaker.

Mutasa in a statement published in the private media yesterday said they were going to court "to reclaim the leadership of the party from the jaws of political vultures."

The sacked Minister for Presidential Affairs said they were, "calling on Zanu-PF cadres to join us in refusing to accept the illegal congress and its outcomes; we call on our Dear Comrades to stand united and remain resolute in their defence of the true values of the liberation struggle towards which we all made contributions which has been hijacked by amafikizolo."

Mutasa said the 6th Zanu-PF National People's Congress held in Harare last month was illegal and added that the entire process was null and void.

Mutasa's statement confirmed allegations levelled against former Vice President Joice Mujuru's cabal of working with the opposition to unseat Zanu-PF and eventually assassinate President Mugabe.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) secretary general Victor Matemadanda said Mutasa's arrogance and defiance exhibited in his statement proved that he was an emerging leader of an opposition party and cannot survive in Zanu-PF.

"Mutasa isn't the leader of present or past Zanu-PF. If he thinks things can only be legal when he's involved in the processes then he's fooling himself. Leaders come and go, his time has come and gone so he and all those leaders that were rejected by the people should accept that," he said.

"They should let the new leadership with energy to carry on with the work do so."

Matemadanda dismissed Mutasa's claims that last December's Congress was convened illegally and that no due process was followed on the Constitutional amendments.

"The constitution allows for amendments and ratification by Congress. The amendments were passed by the Central Committee and Politburo and ratified by Congress," said Matemadanda.

"He suffers from the illusion that only he can legitimise things that's why in his stupidity; he refers to himself as the secretary for administration when we all know that the legitimate holder of that (position) is Ignatius Chombo."

Matemadanda said Mutasa had a Constitutional right to approach the courts but the process would not cause a leadership crisis in the party as there were able leaders.

"They failed to get elected in the Central Committee because they were rejected by the people. That's democracy. People don't want them so the court action would be futile. He calls for people to rally behind them yet they were rejected by those very Zanu-PF members," he added.

"Mutasa is now in opposition. His defiance to the party shows that he'll be part of an emerging opposition party and from his talk, he'll be leading it. Our people are in danger to have Mutasa as their MP because he's feeding them poison.

"I know for a fact that the people of Makoni want that seat to be declared vacant so that there're by- elections to elect a new representative. For us he can't remain an MP while issuing such statements. He belongs to a group of failed politicians like Rugare Gumbo," said Matemadanda.

"Mutasa can't continue to have a position in Zanu-PF. He can't survive in Zanu-PF after making such statements. He bid farewell to the party by his latest statement."

Political analyst Qhubani Moyo said Mutasa's statements were an indication that there was a rebellion in Zanu-PF and the party needs to take decisive measures to thwart it.

He said Mutasa still lived in a nostalgic past where he thought he was still a minister and Politburo member.

"Mutasa has rebelled against the party and those who rebel against the party should be dealt with severely and removed from the positions they occupy in the party," said Moyo.

Mutasa said he was issuing his statement "on behalf of the following: all past members of Zanu-PF expelled or who dissociated with Zanu-PF voluntarily in prior years due to perceived lack of democratic principles and practice in the party".

Other political analysts said it was clear that Mutasa was angered by the outcome of the Zanu-PF Youth League and Women's League conferences that were held in August last year because the results did not favour the Mujuru cabal.

That was the reason why in his statement he was calling for the "re-instatement of the entire constitutionally elected office bearers of the party in all structures of all wings as at the 1st of July 2014".

Mutasa, as the then Secretary for Administration and responsible for organising the conferences, deliberately ensured that both were held in a shambolic way in a bid to influence the outcome.

Money was also used by the Mujuru cabal at the conferences to buy the youths and the women, resulting in Mutasa being strongly warned by President Mugabe against using money to buy votes and disrupting party programmes.

Mutasa is now seeking reversal of the results of the two conferences and the National People's Congress so that those who pushed Mujuru's agenda of assassinating President Mugabe were brought back.

Legal expects said by referring to himself as the Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Mutasa was committing an offence that warranted his dismissal from the party.

"These are party issues because he's still a card carrying member of the party, but the only way to deal with it is that Zanu-PF must take practical steps to deal with its member, one of them being to expel him," said lawyer Jonathan Samkange.

"What he's done is insist that he's still the secretary for administration, so what the party must do is to drag him before a disciplinary hearing and then expel him. Once they do that, then it's finished. If they don't expel him then it is Zanu-PF that has a problem. So, they must act decisively by expelling him."

Another lawyer Terrence Hussein of Ranchhod and Hussein law firm said it would be important for Mutasa to clarify if he was the one who penned the statement.

"If he did, then he has rendered himself liable to a disciplinary process within the party as clearly that conduct would go against constitutional provisions of the party," he said.

"Mutasa's seniority within the liberation movement is unquestionable, but he needs to start behaving as a person with such a legacy."

From the statement, said Hussein, it was clear that Mutasa was averse to change and renewal in the party.

Former Attorney-General and war veteran Sobusa Gula-Ndebele said Mutasa's defiance was clear indication that he did not recognise Chombo's appointment.

Another lawyer Tendai Toto said the signature by Mutasa on the statement gave an impression that he was running a parallel Zanu-PF political party.

"If the signing off as Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration was deliberate then he has demonstrated uttermost defiance of the process that ensued at the Zanu-PF elective congress of 2014," he said.

"It's now up to the Politburo to take necessary actions to put Mutasa in line through disciplinary proceedings for he's deliberately misleading party members that he's still the secretary for administration.

"The conduct is tantamount to putting the name of the party into disrepute where the impression given to the general public and the Zanu-PF membership at large is that there're two secretaries for administration in Zanu-PF and also that Chombo is a shadow secretary for administration."

When contacted to comment on Mutasa's statement yesterday, Mujuru said:

"I'm not speaking to newspapers. Please don't call me".