Mohadi resigns to save image of the country

Vice President Kembo Mohadi yesterday resigned to save the image of the Government and allow him space to pursue legal remedies in the wake of allegations on social media that suggested immoral behaviour, claims he has strenuously denied.

In tendering his resignation, he maintained his innocence saying he is a victim of "information distortion, voice cloning, and sponsored spooking and political sabotage".

VP Mohadi said he had been going through a soul searching pilgrimage and realised he needed space to deal with his problems. He arrived at the decision to resign not as a matter of cowardice but as a demonstration of great respect for the Office of the President so that it is not compromised or caricatured by actions linked to his individual challenges.

"The interconnectivity with social media ecologies have been relaying viral moral panics, peddling flames of lies, creating myths, and muddling the reality of my life as a family man," he said during a Press briefing.

"I am a victim of information distortion, voice cloning and sponsored spooking and political sabotage. Digital media, in their hybridity, have been abused by my enemies to blackmail me, but my spirit will never die.

"Following the recurring disinformation and virilisation of my alleged immoral unions, dispensed through awkward slacktivism, I am stepping down as the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe."

His resignation was with immediate effect. VP Mohadi said while the decision that he took to resign was hard, he still took it to save the image of Government and also as a way of respecting citizens, party comrades and others that may have been affected "by the falsehoods and character assassination in the digital ecosystems".

"My resignation is also necessitated by my desire to seek clarity and justice on the matter in which my legal team will pursue and de-construct this pseudo-paparazzi and flawed espionage to achieve cheap political points.

"I promise to poke holes on this grand strategy from political foes," he said.

He thanked President Mnangagwa for giving him the opportunity to serve in his Government, where he said he literally sat under the President's tutelage and tapped from his wisdom, clear eyed vision and political dexterity.

VP Mohadi also thanked Zanu-PF's cadres and the citizens at large, for the support he got during his time as a national leader, and asked for forgiveness for the tasks he failed to do well.

He added that the energy, faith and devotion that President Mnangagwa has in the Government must light his respective responsibilities and the glow from the light must brighten the world.

"In my political journey, I have learnt that there are no winners or losers in governance but we are pilgrims tied to a single garment of destiny.

"I wish the President of Zimbabwe well, as he continues to bear the burden of a struggle to improve the lives of Zimbabweans, to rejoice in hope and patience, tribulation against poverty, Covid-19 and Vision 2030," he said.

Prior to his elevation as Vice President in 2017, VP Mohadi had served his country in several capacities before and after independence. He fought in the liberation struggle, and after the war, he served as a Member of Parliament, and minister responsible for key portfolios such as Defence, Home Affairs and State Security.