'Geza was used to rebel against Zanu-PF'

Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has paid tribute to fellow war veteran Blessed Geza, describing him as a key figure in both the liberation struggle and the events that led to the removal of former President Robert Mugabe in 2017.

Geza died in South Africa last week due to heart complications. Despite his history as a former Zanu-PF legislator and central committee member, the ruling party did not issue an official statement on his passing, and senior party officials were notably absent at his funeral.

Speaking in his personal capacity, Mutsvangwa conveyed condolences to the Geza family and praised the late war veteran's contribution to Zimbabwe's political history.

"My condolences, I express them to the Geza family. I have historically been very close to that family because two of its members are still alive after going to war. It is a very heroic family or clan," said Mutsvangwa.

He highlighted Geza's role in the internal Zanu-PF struggles that culminated in the military-assisted transition which removed Mugabe from power and ushered in President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

"He was very active from 2013 onwards in fighting against the usurpation of power and the attempts to set up a dynasty by the First Republic's first president. He is the one who brought me into play in the fight against G40," Mutsvangwa said, referring to the Generation 40 faction that was aligned with Mugabe during the party's internal succession battles.

Mutsvangwa further claimed that Geza provided financial and logistical support to war veterans during that period, including allegedly offering refuge to prominent liberation figures when tensions escalated in 2017.

"If you remember in 2017 there was an attempt to arrest [war veterans] by a clandestine police operation by the G40 and they were looking for them. For your own information, they were hiding in Sanyati at Geza's farm," he said.

At the time of his death, Geza had reportedly fallen out with the ruling party over governance issues under Mnangagwa's administration. He had publicly accused the President of presiding over corruption and allowing the State to be influenced by a small clique of wealthy businessmen.

Mutsvangwa suggested that Geza's deteriorating health made him susceptible to political manipulation by those opposed to the party leadership.

"He became ill and when you are ill you become vulnerable and of course detractors saw an opportunity to try to use him and they abused him to say some outrageous things about the leadership of the party," he said.

"As war veterans we say it was unfortunate that such a misfortune befell him of being ill and he became vulnerable to being abused by those who feel that hanging on the heritage of the liberation revolution gives them some legitimacy."

The contrasting silence from Zanu-PF structures and Mutsvangwa's public praise underscore lingering tensions within the ruling party over Geza's later political stance, even as his liberation war credentials were acknowledged.