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Mugabe's aide in explosive WhatsApp chats - Full transcript
21 Nov 2015 at 16:55hrs | Views
DAYS after President Robert Mugabe embarrassingly read the wrong speech during the official opening of parliament in September, a war of words through popular social media application Whatsapp exploded between War Veterans minister Chris Mutsvangwa and Presidential spokesperson George Charamba.Read more on Mutsvangwa, Charamba in vicious fight
Below the transcript is Mutsvangwa's comment
Contacted for comment yesterday Mutsvangwa said the exchange came about following a strategic seminar of war veterans which took place in Kariba around the time President Robert Mugabe delivered a wrong speech in parliament.
"There was a strategic seminar that we as war veterans held at Kariba around the time when president delivered wrong speech in parliament. So as war veterans we discussed that in Kariba because our members were complaining asking why people around the president had allowed such a thing to happen.
"We did not appreciate that our president, a war veteran and our icon could be embarrassed in such a way by people working around him. So after that one of the people present leaked the discussion to him (Charamba) and he sent me a stinging message about it. This then triggered the intense exchanges between 11pm to 3am."
"He poured his heart out, while exhibiting his usual prejudices about war veterans. I only wanted to understand the thinking of people around the president and the centre of power and also appreciate why such a thing could be allowed to happen.
"Somehow people around the centre of power seem to have issues with war veterans. I don't understand this. Some people think going to war like we did is like going to a football match between Highlanders and Dynamos. Yet it's a very serious issue. I wish God could give such people an opportunity to fight in a war of liberation like we did and emerge as heroes as they seem to desperately wish, they were like us.
But the bottom line is we can't keep quiet when such things happen. People around the president can't be so sloppy. We can't afford such sloppiness."
Below the transcript is Mutsvangwa's comment
Contacted for comment yesterday Mutsvangwa said the exchange came about following a strategic seminar of war veterans which took place in Kariba around the time President Robert Mugabe delivered a wrong speech in parliament.
"There was a strategic seminar that we as war veterans held at Kariba around the time when president delivered wrong speech in parliament. So as war veterans we discussed that in Kariba because our members were complaining asking why people around the president had allowed such a thing to happen.
"We did not appreciate that our president, a war veteran and our icon could be embarrassed in such a way by people working around him. So after that one of the people present leaked the discussion to him (Charamba) and he sent me a stinging message about it. This then triggered the intense exchanges between 11pm to 3am."
"He poured his heart out, while exhibiting his usual prejudices about war veterans. I only wanted to understand the thinking of people around the president and the centre of power and also appreciate why such a thing could be allowed to happen.
"Somehow people around the centre of power seem to have issues with war veterans. I don't understand this. Some people think going to war like we did is like going to a football match between Highlanders and Dynamos. Yet it's a very serious issue. I wish God could give such people an opportunity to fight in a war of liberation like we did and emerge as heroes as they seem to desperately wish, they were like us.
But the bottom line is we can't keep quiet when such things happen. People around the president can't be so sloppy. We can't afford such sloppiness."
Source - online
