Mugabe linked NPF splits

THE National Patriotic Front - a political project linked to former President, Mr Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace - has officially split, a few days before the nomination court sits for harmonised elections set for July 30.

The removal of Mr Mugabe from office last November through Operation Restore Legacy, saw the G40 cabal which had coalesced around his wife transforming into the NPF.

The NPF members include Brigadier General Ambrose Mutinhiri (Retired), Professor Jonathan Moyo, Mr Patrick Zhuwao, Mr Saviour Kasukuwere and Mr Jealousy Mawarire.

Mr Kasukuwere, who liked Prof Moyo and Zhuwao were in self imposed exile, returned to Zimbabwe last month and announced he was quitting politics.

A faction led by Mr Mawarire called for a press conference in Harare yesterday morning and announced it had recalled Rtd Brig Gen Mutinhiri, who was the NPF interim leader.

The announcement was made by Mr Mawarire who said they had since appointed Mrs Eunice Sandi-Moyo as NPF interim leader and that they were going into a coalition with MDC Alliance.

A few hours later and at the same venue, Media Centre, Rtd Brig Mutinhiri addressed a press conference and insisted he was the NPF interim president and founder of the political outfit, who could not be dismissed by unelected people.

Rtd Brig Gen Mutinhiri announced that the NPF will hold consultative meeting to elect substantive national executive.

"The processes that replaced Mugabe and others was wrong in my view, I disagreed," said Rtd Brig Gen Mutinhiri.

"I could no longer continue to subscribe to Zanu-PF and at the same time had to resign from Parliament because I was there on Zanu-PF ticket," he said.

"I consulted with the former President Mugabe who said to me if you have the guts, go ahead. So myself and others, we decided to form the NPF, which I am the founding president of and it is registered as such by Zec."

Rtd Brig Gen Mutinhiri said Mr Mawarire and his group that included the faction's interim leader Mrs Sandi Moyo, had expelled themselves from the party by virtue of their conduct.

He said the NPF had not yet made a decision on whether to join MDC Alliance.

He castigated Mawarire and his camp for publicly supporting the MDC Alliance presidential candidate Mr Nelson Chamisa during last Tuesday's demonstration in Harare without first consulting other party members.

"NPF is open to join any of these alliances but has not taken a move yet towards that," he said.

"There are people who have gone out of their way to chant slogans of other political parties. Those have done it on their own. They have not been sanctioned by NPF. We believe we are a people's party and such decision like joining alliances cannot be done without the party holding wide-ranging consultations."

He said as it stands the NPF leadership has not been elected.

Earlier on Mawarire announced that the NPF had fired Rtd Brig Mutinhiri and that they were going into alliance with MDC Alliance ahead of the harmonised elections set for end of July.

Both Mr Mawarire and Mrs Moyo addressed the press conference on the party's resolutions.

Mr Mawarire said the party resolved to recall Rtd Brig Gen Mutinhiri from his current position for teaming up with a former cabinet minister to hire thugs to disrupt an NFEC meeting at the Margolis Resort in Harare on Thursday.

He said the decision to recall Mutinhiri was unanimously endorsed by the NFEC members present at the meeting.

Mr Mawarire said the NPF was expected to conclude an electoral pact with the MDC Alliance by Monday next week, saying the issue of parliamentary seats to be allocated to the party was a done deal.