Kaukonde snubs Mutasa, Gumbo

FORMER Mashonaland East provincial governor Ray Kaukonde has snubbed an offer to lead opposition Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) to fill the void left by ex-State Vice-President Joice Mujuru.

Kaukonde, a former Zanu-PF Mashonaland East provincial leader, was kicked out of the ruling party along with Mujuru at the tail-end of 2014 in the tumultuous events that rocked the former guerrilla movement ahead of its congress.

The group that also included former ministers Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, as well as eight other provincial chairpersons, went on to form ZimPF before a split last month that saw Mujuru rebranding her faction to form the National People's Party (NPP).

Former governor, Kaukonde, was responding to social media reports in which a character masquerading as the politician-cum-business magnet indicated he was resigning from active politics.

"Retiring from active politics and let the youngsters take over. We have played our part as senior citizens of this great nation. Our children can now take over from where we left off," the character under the name Ray Joseph Kaukonde said.

But the former Zanu-PF provincial chairperson, who also walked away from both Mujuru and Mutasa/Gumbo factions of ZimPF, while admitting he was taking a sabbatical from politics said the facebook post was not his.

"Mutasa and Gumbo can look for their leader, but please do not drag me into this. I am not on facebook and did not post that thing. Politics is not everything, it is not oxygen and when I want to speak I will not use social media, but will come out in flesh to say what I think," Kaukonde said.

Famed for telling President Robert Mugabe that he was surrounded by political cheats and liars, Kaukonde said he had received numerous calls to take over as leader of ZimPF, but was not interested.

"I am not going back to Zanu-PF or joining any other political formation. Our people must never be fooled by cheats. There is life beyond politics and I am a businessman with a lot of work to do.

"However, I must say I am worried that this person who has been using my name seems to know not only my movements but my thinking. At the appropriate time, I will report to relevant authorities," Kaukonde said. "People should not dream. I have played my part and need to sort myself and people must wait for me to speak for myself. I have no plan to come back into active politics at least for now."