Mujuru party exposes Mugabe

Former vice-president Joice Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) is this week expected to release a book titled, The National Grievances, with its author saying it will expose President Robert Mugabe's poor track record.

Former top soldier and ex-Zanu-PF official Kudzai Mbudzi yesterday said the party had nothing to fear in exposing the 92-year-old leader.

"As the title suggests, the book will be giving a detailed account of national grievances against Mugabe.

"It will expose his failures in all the facets of our lives," Mbudzi said.

"The book will look at how Mugabe destroyed education in this country, high levels of unemployment, the collapse of industry, deterioration of infrastructure, poor road network and how he is creating sex workers out of very innocent people, how he destroyed the economy and all other sectors in Zimbabwe."

He said the book would also show how Mugabe has led Zimbabwe into international isolation.

"Mugabe has created a brigade of refugees of Zimbabweans who are all over the world trying to look for employment," he said in relation to the amount of brain drain Zimbabwe has suffered under Mugabe's watch.

On their part, Mbudzi said the book would be used as a manual for the ZimPF structures so that they will be able to explain how Mugabe has destroyed the nation.

"The other purpose is to build a culture within our party so that we have a culture of shared values and common understanding on the issues we are fighting Mugabe about. It will serve as a training manual for our structures," he said.

Asked if he was not afraid of victimisation, Mbudzi said there was nothing to fear from a 92-year-old man.

"Can I fear that Mugabe is old? I am not the one responsible for his old age. Why will we have to fear a person as old as that?" he said.

Mbudzi said his party was complementing what other opposition parties like MDC-T have been talking about on the unworthiness of having Mugabe at the helm of the country.

He said their version would be a detailed account followed by pictures in a book with about 60 pages.

"We will not have a launch as such. The book is with the printers now and we expect it this week. Once we receive it, we will start giving it to people," Mbudzi said.

ZimPF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said Mugabe's revelations on Friday that Mujuru's party was recruiting Zanu-PF members in Masvingo showed he was panicking.

"Obviously, he knows how most people in Gutu support People First and Masvingo province is one of our strongholds," he said.

"Mugabe is trying to rubbish People First, but now they are trying to review and check if the suspensions and purging were done procedurally.

Gumbo dismissed the Zanu-PF move to lure back some of the people fired for supporting Mujuru by opening a fresh avenue for them to appeal.

"You don't accuse people first and review their cases later. His appeal committee will not make an impact," he said.

"We are not concerned at all because we have our own vision. People have already made their minds about the road they want to embark on."

Gumbo added: "People are concerned about unemployment and the absence of social services and I am sure they can see for themselves that this party will not take them anywhere."

However, a sizeable number of people who were fired along with Mujuru are said to be flocking to the secretary of administration Ignatius Chombo to make appeals against different sanctions imposed on them.