Mnangagwa faction disowns expelled youths

ACTING President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly distanced himself from three youths fired from the party recently, saying the trio have gone rogue and no longer represent his interests, close allies of the embattled Zanu-PF leader revealed.

Mnangagwa's allies said the three expelled Zanu-PF youths - Godfrey Tsenengamu (Mashonaland Central), Vengai Musengi (Mashonaland West), and Godwin Gomwe (Harare), who last week authored a 12-paged dossier purporting to be defenders of Mnangagwa - had gone wayward.

"They do not represent the interests of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and, in fact, we think they are being funded to behave as if they are acting on his behalf, so that his name is associated with rebellion," one of the Vice-President's top allies said.

In a document addressed to President Robert Mugabe, the youths, operating under the Save Zanu-PF Campaign banner, "revealed" how the Zanu-PF leader used them to hound former Vice-President Joice Mujuru out of the party in 2014, on trumped-up charges of witchcraft and assassination plots.

They also claimed the 92-year-old party leader recently attempted, but failed, to use them as "dogs of war" to blackmail Mnangagwa and rule him out of the succession race.

Zanu-PF spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo yesterday said he was unaware of the allegations that the youths were backing Mnangagwa or anybody in the party.

"I am unaware of those allegations. If there is any truth in them. I will not comment on how it affects the image of the Vice-President," he said.

Moyo said while he had not read the document, if it was presented to the party, they would look into it and see if it was authentic despite that it was authored by expelled people.

Tsenengamu, who appears to be the spokesperson of the group, refused to comment on allegations that they were not part of Team Lacoste, as Mnangagwa's faction in Zanu-PF is popularly known, and instead, demanded to know NewsDay Weeekender sources.

"Write what you have been told, plus that which you know and what you have seen…I don't chase shadows. So unless you tell me who is your source in Team Lacoste who said that, then I can't respond to unidentified sources," he said.

Sources said the succession issue had sucked in the State security apparatus with a section backing First Lady Grace Mugabe and the G40 faction.

Midlands provincial spokesperson, Cornelius Mupereri, who has been linked to Lacoste, said attempts to link the Midlands political kingpin to a faction were myopic.

"We have seen attempts to drag Midlands province and the Vice-President to a Lacoste faction. Yet it is of public record who coined the term Lacoste, and G40, it was not him (Mnangagwa) and neither was it this province," he said.

"We stand guided by the party. Those who were expelled from Zanu-PF cannot purport to speak for anyone inside the party and from what I know about the VP, he is a loyal party cadre who can never support those denigrating the person of President Mugabe."

However, the source said Mnangagwa remained close to others who were expelled, including Midlands youth chairman, Edmore Samambwa and fired War Veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa, among others.