'Jonathan Moyo defying Mugabe'

PSYCHOMOTOR minister Josiah Hungwe yesterday leapt to Acting-President Emmerson Mnangagwa's defence, describing the Midlands politician's Zanu-PF critics as idle people.

Hungwe, speaking on the side-lines of the burial of former Mashonaland West governor Peter Chanetsa at the National heroes acre in Harare, appeared to be aiming his attack on Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo.

Moyo accuses Mnangagwa of plotting to unseat President Robert Mugabe and the Tsholotsho North MP stepped up the attacks last week after a picture of the VP holding a coffee mug with an "I am the boss" inscription went viral on social media.

The picture was taken at a Christmas party at Mnangagwa's rural home in Zvishavane last month.

Hungwe insinuated that Moyo was defying Mugabe by continuing to use Twitter to attack his rivals.

"These nonsensical insults on Twitter are not productive," said the minister, who is a strong ally of the VP.

"Even after the president has spoken against the abuse of those platforms, some people continue to do the most unproductive things.

"All I can say is they have nothing to do with their lives and they are chasing after a man with a clear vision, as given to him by his boss President Mugabe."

He said those who were trying to link Mnangagwa's picture with Mugabe's succession were becoming desperate.

Hungwe said the VP would never defy his boss and would also not waste his time chasing after people attacking him on social media.

"Let them bark while he continues with his work as given to him by his appointing authority," he said.

Norton legislator Temba Mliswa also weighed in, saying the "unwarranted" attack on Mnangagwa for holding the mug showed that Zanu-PF had no capacity to deal with economic problems facing the country.

"They need to respect his office, he is holding out and representing President (Robert) Mugabe on an acting capacity and he has to be respected but for ministers to spend the better part of January fighting over a mug shows lack of intellect and ability to solve the economic challenges that we are facing," he said.

Mliswa said Mnangagwa was the boss of his own house, and he should be allowed to drink from a mug of his choice and as vice-president, he was also a boss in his office and that did not mean anything.

"His children are allowed to buy him that cup or even his wife and that he drinks from it should not be an offence," he said.

Mliswa was expelled from Zanu-PF for allegedly supporting former vice-president Joice Mujuru's alleged bid to take over from Mugabe.