'Mujuru facilitated sexual abuse of young women'

Zanu-PF Politburo member and war veteran Oppah Muchinguri has exposed former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and ex-minister Didymus Mutasa's dubious Second Chimurenga heroism claims, alleging the duo never engaged in real combat.

Muchinguri made the damning revelations in an address to party supporters at Vengere Hall in Rusape last week, also alleging that Mujuru was at the forefront of coercing young women to sleep with male combatants.

She also said Mujuru never shot down a helicopter during the Second Chimurenga as was often claimed.

"Let me tell you: we were together during our days in Mozambique; Joice came to the war front accompanied by her husband (before she married General Solomon Mujuru). The man is the one who died during an incursion and then she claimed and lied that she had shot down the helicopter," said Muchinguri.

"Those who aided in peddling those falsehoods of downing a helicopter were (Webster) Shamu and Mutasa. Their agenda was to prop Mujuru's war credentials.



"When Joice came back from Zambia, in fact she did not undergo any form of training. A few days after she joined us in Mozambique, Joice physically assaulted me. I, Duri and Chitsotso, resisted sleeping with the likes of Mutasa, Bhombandiani; and I was whipped for that. Imagine, Joice was there!

"We want you to understand how other young female soldiers suffered as Joice engineered all these abuses," said Muchinguri.

The Zanu-PF Politburo member said Mutasa attempted to assassinate her when he was State Security Minister by engineering suspicious road accidents involving her vehicle.

She went on, "The late Edgar Tekere is the one who brought Mutasa who was already in Bishop (Abel) Muzorewa's camp. He came to Maputo, he never trained saying he was scared that his wife Getty would be killed. He is not part of our liberation struggle.

"He told Tekere to leave the party so that he would join him to form their own party. Mutasa is the one who betrayed (Maurice) Nyagumbo and lied to us that he was not a good person and in the end Nyagumbo committed suicide. He is the one who got the late (Kumbirai) Kangai arrested. His war credentials are soiled."

Muchinguri said Zanu-PF's leadership was aware of the havoc wreaked by Mutasa during his tenure in public office.

"He was impregnating women and I have my uncle who has a wife who was impregnated by Mutasa. Didymus boasted to me that he impregnated her. He is a man who has no respect for other men," she said.