Mutsvangwa under probe

The Zanu-PF Women's League has resolved to set up a team to investigate the participation of its spokesperson Monica Mutsvangwa in an illegal meeting that sought to overturn the ousting of Manicaland chairlady Happiness Nyakuedzwa.

The wing's national deputy secretary Eunice Sandi Moyo yesterday said the wing met on Monday and concluded that Mutsvangwa had a case to answer on the chaotic scenes that took place in Manicaland.

Nyakuedzwa was booted out last month for allegedly disrespecting the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe, who is the national secretary for Women's Affairs when she went for a rally in Chimanimani. A few days later, Nyakuedzwa turned the tables and passed a vote of no confidence on provincial executive members who were instrumental in her dismissal.

Sandi Moyo said a team would be in Manicaland next week to investigate why Mutsvangwa would support "insubordination behaviour". "I think time has come where each one of us must account for her actions because if we fail to do so, things will get out of hand," said Sandi Moyo.

"People lose respect for their leaders and we cannot allow that. I am, therefore, saying things cannot be left unresolved and this issue requires us to go to Manicaland as a team and seriously understand the role Mutsvangwa played in the factionalism behaviour coming from that province.

"I am setting up a Commission of about four to five people who will have to go and find out how things  happened there and why the First Lady's name was dragged into factional issues." She said it was worrying that Mutsvangwa participated in the second meeting which was illegal.

"That alone tells us that there is a case for her to answer," Sandi Moyo said. "It must be known that from now onwards, the vice chairlady Nokuthula Matsikenyiri, is acting chairlady of Manicaland. She automatically becomes chairperson until things are addressed by the Politburo."

Sandi Moyo said a vote of no confidence was not an issue for the women's league's national executive. "It is an issue for the Politburo from the provincial executive," she said.

"There were some arguments that there was a vote of no confidence passed on the chairlady and the following day there was a counterproposal that also passed a vote of no confidence. As far as I understand party procedures and rules, I made it clear to the ladies that only the first vote of no confidence automatically suspends operations of any person falling under that category of punishment. There were some issues discussed there but the issue stands that a vote of no confidence means you are out of office until your case is discussed by the disciplinary committee of the Politburo."

A special co-ordination committee meeting held in Mutare last week turned chaotic because of the issue after the acting chairman, Samuel Undenge, announced it was not on the agenda and would be deliberated as a matter on any other business.

Mutsvangwa reportedly kept on bringing the issue back on the agenda and also dismissed a letter from national commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere, acknowledging receipt of the petition that was used to oust Nyakuedzwa.

She is alleged to have nonchalantly asked, ''who is Kasukuwere?'' In an interview after the chaotic meeting, Mutsvangwa denied undermining the authority of any leader. "The vote of no confidence issue should have been tackled by our women's league political commissar (Mabel Chinomona)," she said.

"Zanu-PF has properly laid down structures and they should be followed. As the national women's league executive, we have never received a report on the issue of the vote of no confidence on Nyakuedzwa. We are not protecting her. If she has a case to answer then proper procedures should be followed."