ZimFirst distances self from Shumba's remarks on CODE

The ZimFirst Party National Executive Committee has said it noted with great concern the recent utterances on various online publications by the suspended Maxwell Zeb Shumba regarding Zimbabwe First Party ( ZimFirst ) and CODE ( Coalition of Democrats) in which he distanced the party from assoiciating with the Coalition of Democrats led by Elton Mangoma.

Shumba had recently said ZimFirst is no longer party of the coalition and asked Mangoma to stop listing it as party of the pact.

"We would like to state it clearly that Maxwell Zeb Shumba has no mandate to speak for and on behalf of ZimFirst Party after the NEC resolved to suspend Dr Maxwell Zeb Shumba from the Party after he was found guilty of wilfully violating the ZimFirst Party Constitution and also bringing the ZimFirst Party name into disrepute by issuing out derogatory statements about CODE and fellow Principals in the Coalition," said ZimFirst interim President Derick Lupemba.

"With this statement we would like to therefore state and clarify that ZimFirst Party IS a member of CODE and nothing has changed, ZimFirst Party officially became a member of CODE on 9 February 2017 and that position has not changed and will not be changed by unilateral declarations by any individual, ZimFirst Party still subscribes to the Values and Principles of CODE and that has not changed, ZimFirst Party strongly believes that, given the prevailing Political Environment ,it can afford to give the People of Zimbabwe a fighting chance by coalescing with other progressive forces."

He said ZimFirst Party is NOT fielding a Presidential Candidate for the 2018 Elections but will support any Coalition Presidential Candidate that is nominated and agreed to by all Parties in the Coalition.

"Shumba got the mandate to participate in the CODE Presidential Candidate nomination process from the ZimFirst Party National Executive Council, A transparent CODE Presidential Candidate nomination process was conducted in which all Political Parties in CODE, including ZimFirst Party, were present, Shumba only managed to get one nomination in that process in which Mr Elton Mangoma ( RDZ) emerged the winner,The results were communicated to him ( Dr Shumba) and he pledged to work and support CODE and its Presidential Candidate, For reasons best known to himself, Dr Shumba then went on to write a letter unilaterally withdrawing from CODE and even insulting fellow CODE Principals ,which led to the ZimFirst Party NEC taking corrective action by immediately suspending Dr Shumba from the Party on 6 March 2018 and him being served with the suspension letter which was also copied to CODE and the Elections Management body," he said.

"It must there be stated here that his issues are with ZimFirst Party and not with CODE or anyone else and therefore should he feel aggrieved he knows what to do and where to go( he is free to approach the Courts as he has always threatened to do). Meanwhile he has nothing to do with ZimFirst Party nor CODE and therefore has no business writing threatening letters to anyone. As the ZimFirst Party Interim Committee, we will not be drawn into unnecessary battles with anyone at the moment as we are currently seized with restructuring the Party as we also focus on the preparations for the CODE Launch."

He said ZimFirst Party will be at the CODE Launch on Saturday 14 April 2018 and is determined to make sure its a successful event.

"ZimFirst Party has no place for egocentric persons, who listen to no one and have total disregard for the various men and women who have been in the trenches in defending the Party while they are happy to be directing events from the diaspora .These persons end up having warped understanding of Zimbabwe politics and believe that a Coalition is only a credible Coalition if it is only themselves are leading it," he said.

"Shumba was accused on a number of occasions and on various platforms, that he was an agent of the regime and would work tirelessly to see that any Coalition Initiatives would not succeed but the ZimFirst Party Leadership on the ground would defend him each time. Of note, ZimFirst Party was a member of NERA and Dr Shumba made a unilateral decision to withdraw from it. On the ZiNERA platform, he was the most vocal of the 18 or so Principals in that grouping then before again withdrawing from it. His latest actions and words on CODE are certainly pointing in the same direction that he is determined to see to it that any Coalition initiative collapse. As ZimFirst Party Interim Leadership, we will not allow that to happen and remind him that he should immediately accept that ZimFirst Party is not a personal project , which in our view has been the root of his problems."