'Experts' speak on Mujuru expulsion

THE expulsion of former Vice President Dr Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru from Zanu-PF, is good riddance for the revolutionary party which should lodge a complaint with the police so that they can investigate the allegations the party's National Disciplinary Committee raised against her, political and legal analysts said yesterday.

The Zanu-PF Politburo expelled Dr Mujuru at its meeting on Thursday over a slew of allegations including plotting to assassinate President Mugabe, corruption and criminal abuse of office, among others.

Renowned Harare lawyer Mr Terence Hussein said: "The allegations are very serious. Formal procedure has to be followed to allow the due process. There has to be a complaint lodged with the police, so that a docket is opened and all the processes begin.

"The police will not act just because they have heard about the allegations. There has to be a complaint."

Another Harare lawyer Mr Tendai Toto concurred with Mr Hussein.

"There has to be a police report for the law enforcement agents to act. She was the Vice President and not immune to criminal prosecution. If the evidence is there, a complaint should be lodged with the police to allow due process," said Mr Toto.

Political scientist Professor Charity Manyeruke said the Mujuru saga called for logical conclusion given the gravity of the allegations levelled against her.

"These allegations were raised a long time ago and we do not understand why the police have not moved in to investigate. It is in the interest of justice and fairness that Zimbabweans know the truth about these allegations. We also want to send the correct message that no one is above the law whether one is a Vice President or not," said Prof Manyeruke.

"The allegations are quite serious and people need to know the outcome of the case. Government, particularly the President has declared zero tolerance on corruption. This must not end up as mere talk."

Another analyst, Mr Goodwine Mureriwa said Zanu-PF had shown the way that no one was indispensable and that the party was bigger than individuals.

"If a leader becomes counter-revolutionary and betrays the principles of the party, he or she has to be expelled. Even the President is on record saying everyone should be subservient to the party and he as First Secretary of the party has remained humble, steadfast and principled," said Mr Mureriwa.

He said even former Zanu leader Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole former secretary-general Mr Edgar Tekere, fell by the wayside when they betrayed the struggle and principles of the party.

"This is a long-standing tradition of Zanu-PF that no one is above the party. The law should now take its course, expulsion was just a political decision, wheels of justice should now start turning," he said.

Another analyst, Professor Nhamo Mhiripiri, said every political party had the prerogative of instituting disciplinary measures against members.

"If the majority of the political party decide that they have to remove a member, that is their prerogative," said Prof Mhiripiri.

He, however, said what should be asked was whether people had differed ideologically, if not, there was still room for reconciliation just like happened with other members who were readmitted into the party.

Addressing journalists after the Politburo meeting that lasted nine hours on Thursday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Simon Khaya Moyo said the decision to expel Dr Mujuru was reached after presentations by various party structures.

Khaya Moyo said the allegations included plotting to unconstitutionally remove the President and First Secretary of the party from office; orchestrating the 'bhora musango' campaign to the detriment of the party's interests; orchestrating factionalism in the party thereby causing acrimonious divisions; abusing party structures to create a competing centre of national power.

Other allegations pertain to engaging in behaviour unbecoming of a Vice President and second secretary of the party; systematically collaborating and colluding with the enemy in a manner that undermines the party and risked bringing it into disrepute; engaging in activities that smack of corruption, engaging in criminal abuse of office, impugning, maligning and undermining the party and the President and providing leadership to the regime change agenda and Fifth Column politics within Zanu-PF.