Mutasa should proceed with court challenge, says Gumbo

Former Zanu-PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo yesterday said ousted Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa should proceed to take President Robert Mugabe to court to challenge the outcome of the December congress because the ruling party no longer had structures to deal with internal disputes.

Gumbo was reacting to President Mugabe's plea to aggrieved Zanu-PF members to desist from taking the party to court but seek internal recourse.

He said the new-look Zanu-PF no longer had structures to deal with a "high profile" case like Mutasa's as it no longer had able structures after its "unconstitutional" December congress that was held after several elected members had been purged.

Gumbo said in the absence of elected structures, the former Manicaland strongman should proceed to seek recourse from the courts of law than seek remedy in the "confused" Zanu-PF.

"They have destroyed all structures. All elected people have been fired and imposed people now sit in the party's disciplinary hearing. They do not have the required competencies to handle internal disputes," Gumbo said.

Mutasa, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, was axed from government alongside former Vice-President Joice Mujuru, several other Cabinet ministers and party provincial chairpersons over allegations of trying to topple Mugabe. He has threatened to take Mugabe to court over the issue.

The former Presidential Affairs minister's threats have ruffled Zanu-PF feathers, leading to sustained demonising by the State media. Some top lawyers have been reportedly threatened not to take up the case that is being handled by, among others, former Attorney-General Sobusa Gula Ndebele.

In a sudden turn of event for Zanu-PF which had been claiming that Mutasa's legal challenge was a waste of time, Mugabe — through party spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo — said all aggrieved party members should seek recourse in the party's internal systems, not courts of law.

Addressing journalists in Harare after a Zanu-PF politburo meeting last week, Khaya Moyo said: "He [Mugabe] said the party has principles, rules and values that are not subjected to higher courts as some believe and if you are a party member, there are structures you must use to get your concerns addressed, but not through the High Court or other institutions outside the party,"

Khaya-Moyo said Mutasa's case would only be dealt with by a seven-member national disciplinary committee set up by the politburo recently. The team is yet to meet as one of its members, First Lady Grace Mugabe is still in the Far East receiving medical attention.

Gumbo asked: "How do they expect to solve issues internally when they have destroyed all the structures?"

He said most of the issues that were troubling the party now had not been dealt with in line with the party's constitution.

"When they expelled me, there was no disciplinary committee to decide my fate. Only a few politburo members decided my fate. The same with all the elected members who were kicked out with votes-of-no-confidence; the politburo, not the disciplinary committee decided," Gumbo said.

"Only a handful of people like [VP Emmerson] Mnangagwa Oppah Muchinguri and others decided the fate of most of the members. It doesn't work that way. The committee is a waste of time. It is made up of people without party history."

On threats by Manicaland Provincial minister Mandi Chimene that the party would grab Mutasa's farm, Gumbo said that only showed the leadership crisis the country was facing.

He said the calibre of current leaders was deplorable.

"The issue of land is a national issue, not a party issue. Land is given to Zimbabweans, not Zanu-PF members only. It is given to people on merit. Only an immature person can say what Chimene said," Gumbo said.