News / National
Grace, Mnangagwa camps fight at Heroes Arce
20 Sep 2015 at 08:05hrs | Views
Rivalry between camps backing First Lady Grace Mugabe and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa turned violent at the burial of national hero Sikhanyiso Ndlovu in Harare on Saturday.
A group believed to be aligned to Grace and led by the Mbare Chimurenga Choir had come to the National Heroes Acre wearing Tshirts emblazoned with pictures of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and President Robert Mugabe in front, while at the back they had messages praising the First Lady.
The group had earlier in the week promised to take the T-shirts to all public functions in what they said would be a demonstration against Mnangagwa's utterances denigrating Nkomo.
At the Heroes Acre, angry youths confronted members of the Mbare Chimurenga Choir, comprising women, and demanded to know who had distributed the T-shirts, and also which "mother" was being referred to in the messages at the back of the T-shirts?
The message at the back of the T-shirts reads: "The unity that shall never collapse. Munhu wese kuna Amai [Everybody should support the mother]
There were near-fisticuffs when the group loyal to Grace was manhandled for wearing T-shirts with clearly anti-Mnangagwa messages.
The fracas took place when Mugabe and other top government and party officials had left their seats for the grave of the former Information minister and ex- Mpopoma Member of Parliament.
When Mugabe was returning minutes later, the quarrelling youths briefly stopped attacking each other.
They all chanted "Gushungo, Gushungo, Gushungo" ostensibly to hide their anger from Mugabe and other leaders.
The angry youths, clad in green uniforms of graduates from the Border Gezi national youth service, could not be easily restrained.
Grace loyalists want the T-shirts to be won at all Zanu PF gatherings and Saturday marked the first time they have been worn in public - a development which did not go down well with the Mnangagwa camp.
After the official programme and Mugabe's exit, the youths resumed hunting for all people clad in the T-shirts, stating that it was improper to do that as it divided the party.
But the Mnangagwa loyalists would have none of it.
"We want answers. We want to know the meaning of the statement 'Munhu wese kuna Amai?," shouted one of the youths.
"We don't want people pushing their agendas here. Why did you bring those T-shirts and why distribute them clandestinely?"
A group believed to be aligned to Grace and led by the Mbare Chimurenga Choir had come to the National Heroes Acre wearing Tshirts emblazoned with pictures of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and President Robert Mugabe in front, while at the back they had messages praising the First Lady.
The group had earlier in the week promised to take the T-shirts to all public functions in what they said would be a demonstration against Mnangagwa's utterances denigrating Nkomo.
At the Heroes Acre, angry youths confronted members of the Mbare Chimurenga Choir, comprising women, and demanded to know who had distributed the T-shirts, and also which "mother" was being referred to in the messages at the back of the T-shirts?
The message at the back of the T-shirts reads: "The unity that shall never collapse. Munhu wese kuna Amai [Everybody should support the mother]
There were near-fisticuffs when the group loyal to Grace was manhandled for wearing T-shirts with clearly anti-Mnangagwa messages.
The fracas took place when Mugabe and other top government and party officials had left their seats for the grave of the former Information minister and ex- Mpopoma Member of Parliament.
They all chanted "Gushungo, Gushungo, Gushungo" ostensibly to hide their anger from Mugabe and other leaders.
The angry youths, clad in green uniforms of graduates from the Border Gezi national youth service, could not be easily restrained.
Grace loyalists want the T-shirts to be won at all Zanu PF gatherings and Saturday marked the first time they have been worn in public - a development which did not go down well with the Mnangagwa camp.
After the official programme and Mugabe's exit, the youths resumed hunting for all people clad in the T-shirts, stating that it was improper to do that as it divided the party.
But the Mnangagwa loyalists would have none of it.
"We want answers. We want to know the meaning of the statement 'Munhu wese kuna Amai?," shouted one of the youths.
"We don't want people pushing their agendas here. Why did you bring those T-shirts and why distribute them clandestinely?"
Source - The Standard
