News / National
'Mujuru should be charged with treason'
17 Nov 2014 at 07:00hrs | Views
GOKWE-NEMBUDZIYA MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena has, since entering the political limelight last year, remained steadfast in his support for the First Family and made his dislike of Vice-President Joice Mujuru's alleged corrupt tendencies a "public secret".
Wadyajena has even gone to the extent of emblazoning his vehicles with First Lady Grace Mugabe's pictures to prove his loyalty and says he is unapologetic about his bold stance. He is perhaps the only high-profile personality to be given authority by the First Family to decorate his vehicles with Grace's image.
NewsDay (ND) reporter Moses Matenga recently spoke to Wadyajena (JMW) and below are excerpts of the interview:
ND: You have been unequivocal in your support of the First Lady. What motivates that support?
JMW: I make no apologies for unequivocally supporting the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe. In the first place, the First Lady has brought the party together by propounding the values of honesty, loyalty and hard work as required of every member of the party in accordance with Article 3 Section 18(5) of the Zanu-PF party constitution.
This is a duty that is required of every member of the party, and more so, those in positions of political leadership.
She has correctly warned those who dabble in corrupt and divisive activities to desist from such shenanigans as they go against the grain and founding principles of the party. They constitute a demon that should be exorcised.
I believe that those who are resisting her clean-up endeavours have skeletons to hide in their cupboards, and that they are driven by self-aggrandisement rather than the need to serve the people.
As a loyal member of the party, I am grateful for the First Lady's mission to purge the party of those leaders who got into politics to enrich themselves at the expense of the ordinary people who voted them into power.
Sound political leadership involves trust from the people who voted you into power and we should never cheat or betray them by seeking to reverse the very goals of empowerment we fought for by cavorting with our erstwhile colonisers and reversing the gains we have made so far.
ND: You have also been open in your attack of Vice-President Mujuru citing her alleged involvement in corrupt activities and calling for her resignation. Do you think allegations raised against her can be authenticated?
JMW: I want to make it clear that I am not attacking the Office of the Vice-President, but her behaviour. She is only concerned about her own selfish interests. His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde Robert Mugabe, stated that there are lots of companies and potential investors coming into Zimbabwe, but that they were being compelled to make certain payments to herself and her cronies before being allowed to commence operations.
I believe that the President cannot be a liar as he is privy to certain information which is not accessible to the ordinary person.
In addition to that, the First Lady has also intimated that the Vice-President was using her position to unashamedly ask for shares in several white-owned companies. Surely, if that is not impropriety, I do not know what it should be called.
By engaging in such activities, the VP abused her position of trust and also brought the name of the party into disrepute. In fact, such activities have had the negative effect of sabotaging the country's economic progress.
ND: Do you see Zanu-PF uniting and coming out stronger after congress?
JMW: All provinces have already endorsed Cde Mugabe as president and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, meaning that he has a clear mandate to continue leading the party. The party will certainly come out more united and stronger after congress as a result of his tactful and visionary leadership and direction. I look forward to the President being given another opportunity to lead the party for his entire life. Remember that we command a majority in Parliament and that it is possible to seek an amendment to the Constitution so that he continues leading the country till his last breath and not being murdered by criminals who act at the behest of foreign intelligence agents and in crass disregard of the principles of humanism, natural justice and African ethos.
The party will certainly come out more united than ever before after congress. I also wish to draw your attention to the fact that, to President Mugabe, who is also our beloved hero and role model as Zimbabwean youths, political office is not about self-aggrandisement, but an opportunity for servant leadership.
Like he aptly stated at the burial of the late [Zambian] President [Michael] Sata in Lusaka on November 11 2014, he was not in politics for the money, but to serve the people and help improve their livelihoods.
ND: As party youths, what do you think should be done ahead of congress to ensure that Zanu-PF is reinvigorated?
JMW: As youths, we demand equal opportunities for all, for example, when it comes to issues of empowerment, we must empower all youths equally, irrespective of their political affiliation, sex or ethnicity. Secondly, there should be a synchronisation of youth policies from the party manifesto to the national Constitution. Thirdly, youths should actively participate in politics and they should be accorded reasonable representation in governance bodies like the Legislature, Executive and even Judiciary and other bodies. Youths should not just be voters only, but should have a say in defining our country today and tomorrow. Remember that it is active participation and involvement that attracts the youths.
ND: What are your demands at congress as ruling party youths?
JMW: Our first demand as the youths is that Vice-President Mujuru must not be accommodated in the party structures at congress as her corrupt activities will take back the gains of the liberation struggle. She must actually be arrested and thereby demonstrate the principle of "zero tolerance" to corruption as espoused in resolutions that arose from the Bulawayo conference of 2011, Gweru conference of December 2012 and the Chinhoyi conference of December 2013.
As youths, we believe that Vice-President Mujuru should, by all means, not be allowed to be President of this country. With the trends she has already exhibited, it would not be surprising if she connives with our enemies to drag the President to the Hague as they did with [former Liberian leader Charles] Taylor or to murder him in cold blood as they did to [the late Libyan leader Muammar]Gaddafi.
In addition, people who are seen as hardliners like Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa will be taken to the Hague, just because he has been loyal to the party and has gone out of his way to protect the President. I must emphasise that I do not make any apology for my call for the Vice-President to resign, especially in the face of the overwhelming evidence of corruption and the plot to unseat the President, who was constitutionally elected.
We should remember that the President has sacrificed a lot for Zimbabwe. He is a "gem" we cannot afford to lose. Therefore, any attempt to unseat him borders on treason.
Her actions show that she has abused the President's magnanimity and trust, after being plucked from oblivion to the Vice-Presidency by the very same man that she is impugning today.
I believe that the First Lady, Dr Mugabe, is right in referring to the Vice-President as inept and as someone who has not done anything for the country, except lambasting hardworking ministers like Professor Jonathan Moyo [Media, Information and Publicity].
She should resign because her activities have actually given fodder to those who delight in labelling the country as a hub of corruption in Southern Africa.
ND: What is your take to allegations that the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe, has grabbed land belonging to neighbouring farmers?
JMW: In fact, those who are resisting the "takeover" are enemies of progress who are selfish and only concerned with "immediate" gains and not the future.
They are actually sabotaging the First Lady's programmes which are meant to benefit the "greater good" and not myopic self-interests. Dr Mugabe is not undertaking her projects for self-aggrandisement, but as a lasting service to the less-privileged people, orphans, abandoned children and indeed, the people of Zimbabwe in general. To criticise the First Lady for this is, I believe, the height of hypocrisy.
For my part, I actually encourage her to stand as MP for the area in 2018 so that she can more effectively discharge her God-given mandate of assisting orphans, students and the public with skills, and basic and tertiary education, among other benefits.
ND: Finally, since you have publicly shown your support for the First Lady by even emblazoning your cars with her pictures, what will happen if Joice Mujuru becomes the President and First Secretary?
JMW: Let me preface my response by stating that if she is corrupt, she is corrupt. Even if she becomes President and First Secretary, which I do not think will happen as it is immoral, I will still stand by what I am saying. I must make it clear that I am not looking for favours from any quarter, but I am guided by what is correct and what I believe to be right. In any case, why should I be afraid if I am doing the correct thing? It is important for the world and the generality of Zimbabweans to know the truth.
If she has "culled" any inducements from the whites, such untoward behaviour and the motive for engaging in it must be exposed. I reiterate that what is correct is that Mujuru should not be allowed to become President and First Secretary of the Party, let alone keep holding onto her current position. She must actually be charged with corruption, plotting to topple a constitutionally elected Head of State, wilful ineptitude, sabotaging government's empowerment programmes and holding unsanctioned meetings with representatives of hostile countries, without the authorisation of her Principal and Head of State, treason, among other crimes.
Wadyajena has even gone to the extent of emblazoning his vehicles with First Lady Grace Mugabe's pictures to prove his loyalty and says he is unapologetic about his bold stance. He is perhaps the only high-profile personality to be given authority by the First Family to decorate his vehicles with Grace's image.
NewsDay (ND) reporter Moses Matenga recently spoke to Wadyajena (JMW) and below are excerpts of the interview:
ND: You have been unequivocal in your support of the First Lady. What motivates that support?
JMW: I make no apologies for unequivocally supporting the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe. In the first place, the First Lady has brought the party together by propounding the values of honesty, loyalty and hard work as required of every member of the party in accordance with Article 3 Section 18(5) of the Zanu-PF party constitution.
This is a duty that is required of every member of the party, and more so, those in positions of political leadership.
She has correctly warned those who dabble in corrupt and divisive activities to desist from such shenanigans as they go against the grain and founding principles of the party. They constitute a demon that should be exorcised.
I believe that those who are resisting her clean-up endeavours have skeletons to hide in their cupboards, and that they are driven by self-aggrandisement rather than the need to serve the people.
As a loyal member of the party, I am grateful for the First Lady's mission to purge the party of those leaders who got into politics to enrich themselves at the expense of the ordinary people who voted them into power.
Sound political leadership involves trust from the people who voted you into power and we should never cheat or betray them by seeking to reverse the very goals of empowerment we fought for by cavorting with our erstwhile colonisers and reversing the gains we have made so far.
ND: You have also been open in your attack of Vice-President Mujuru citing her alleged involvement in corrupt activities and calling for her resignation. Do you think allegations raised against her can be authenticated?
JMW: I want to make it clear that I am not attacking the Office of the Vice-President, but her behaviour. She is only concerned about her own selfish interests. His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde Robert Mugabe, stated that there are lots of companies and potential investors coming into Zimbabwe, but that they were being compelled to make certain payments to herself and her cronies before being allowed to commence operations.
I believe that the President cannot be a liar as he is privy to certain information which is not accessible to the ordinary person.
In addition to that, the First Lady has also intimated that the Vice-President was using her position to unashamedly ask for shares in several white-owned companies. Surely, if that is not impropriety, I do not know what it should be called.
By engaging in such activities, the VP abused her position of trust and also brought the name of the party into disrepute. In fact, such activities have had the negative effect of sabotaging the country's economic progress.
ND: Do you see Zanu-PF uniting and coming out stronger after congress?
JMW: All provinces have already endorsed Cde Mugabe as president and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, meaning that he has a clear mandate to continue leading the party. The party will certainly come out more united and stronger after congress as a result of his tactful and visionary leadership and direction. I look forward to the President being given another opportunity to lead the party for his entire life. Remember that we command a majority in Parliament and that it is possible to seek an amendment to the Constitution so that he continues leading the country till his last breath and not being murdered by criminals who act at the behest of foreign intelligence agents and in crass disregard of the principles of humanism, natural justice and African ethos.
Like he aptly stated at the burial of the late [Zambian] President [Michael] Sata in Lusaka on November 11 2014, he was not in politics for the money, but to serve the people and help improve their livelihoods.
ND: As party youths, what do you think should be done ahead of congress to ensure that Zanu-PF is reinvigorated?
JMW: As youths, we demand equal opportunities for all, for example, when it comes to issues of empowerment, we must empower all youths equally, irrespective of their political affiliation, sex or ethnicity. Secondly, there should be a synchronisation of youth policies from the party manifesto to the national Constitution. Thirdly, youths should actively participate in politics and they should be accorded reasonable representation in governance bodies like the Legislature, Executive and even Judiciary and other bodies. Youths should not just be voters only, but should have a say in defining our country today and tomorrow. Remember that it is active participation and involvement that attracts the youths.
ND: What are your demands at congress as ruling party youths?
JMW: Our first demand as the youths is that Vice-President Mujuru must not be accommodated in the party structures at congress as her corrupt activities will take back the gains of the liberation struggle. She must actually be arrested and thereby demonstrate the principle of "zero tolerance" to corruption as espoused in resolutions that arose from the Bulawayo conference of 2011, Gweru conference of December 2012 and the Chinhoyi conference of December 2013.
As youths, we believe that Vice-President Mujuru should, by all means, not be allowed to be President of this country. With the trends she has already exhibited, it would not be surprising if she connives with our enemies to drag the President to the Hague as they did with [former Liberian leader Charles] Taylor or to murder him in cold blood as they did to [the late Libyan leader Muammar]Gaddafi.
In addition, people who are seen as hardliners like Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa will be taken to the Hague, just because he has been loyal to the party and has gone out of his way to protect the President. I must emphasise that I do not make any apology for my call for the Vice-President to resign, especially in the face of the overwhelming evidence of corruption and the plot to unseat the President, who was constitutionally elected.
We should remember that the President has sacrificed a lot for Zimbabwe. He is a "gem" we cannot afford to lose. Therefore, any attempt to unseat him borders on treason.
Her actions show that she has abused the President's magnanimity and trust, after being plucked from oblivion to the Vice-Presidency by the very same man that she is impugning today.
I believe that the First Lady, Dr Mugabe, is right in referring to the Vice-President as inept and as someone who has not done anything for the country, except lambasting hardworking ministers like Professor Jonathan Moyo [Media, Information and Publicity].
She should resign because her activities have actually given fodder to those who delight in labelling the country as a hub of corruption in Southern Africa.
ND: What is your take to allegations that the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe, has grabbed land belonging to neighbouring farmers?
JMW: In fact, those who are resisting the "takeover" are enemies of progress who are selfish and only concerned with "immediate" gains and not the future.
They are actually sabotaging the First Lady's programmes which are meant to benefit the "greater good" and not myopic self-interests. Dr Mugabe is not undertaking her projects for self-aggrandisement, but as a lasting service to the less-privileged people, orphans, abandoned children and indeed, the people of Zimbabwe in general. To criticise the First Lady for this is, I believe, the height of hypocrisy.
For my part, I actually encourage her to stand as MP for the area in 2018 so that she can more effectively discharge her God-given mandate of assisting orphans, students and the public with skills, and basic and tertiary education, among other benefits.
ND: Finally, since you have publicly shown your support for the First Lady by even emblazoning your cars with her pictures, what will happen if Joice Mujuru becomes the President and First Secretary?
JMW: Let me preface my response by stating that if she is corrupt, she is corrupt. Even if she becomes President and First Secretary, which I do not think will happen as it is immoral, I will still stand by what I am saying. I must make it clear that I am not looking for favours from any quarter, but I am guided by what is correct and what I believe to be right. In any case, why should I be afraid if I am doing the correct thing? It is important for the world and the generality of Zimbabweans to know the truth.
If she has "culled" any inducements from the whites, such untoward behaviour and the motive for engaging in it must be exposed. I reiterate that what is correct is that Mujuru should not be allowed to become President and First Secretary of the Party, let alone keep holding onto her current position. She must actually be charged with corruption, plotting to topple a constitutionally elected Head of State, wilful ineptitude, sabotaging government's empowerment programmes and holding unsanctioned meetings with representatives of hostile countries, without the authorisation of her Principal and Head of State, treason, among other crimes.
Source - newsday
