'Close all doors on Didymus Mutasa,' says Chinamasa

ZANU-PF national secretary for legal affairs, Patrick Chinamasa, has urged the people of Manicaland to reject any moves by Didymus Mutasa to use the province as a launch pad for any political activities he might harbour.

Addressing thousands of supporters at celebrations to mark the re-appointment of Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri into the Politburo and Cabinet at St James Zongoro in Mutasa Central on Sunday, Chinamasa said the province should be sceptical about people like Mutasa who are out to destabilise the province through pursuing selfish agendas.

"As people of Manicaland we should be watchful of all activities involving Mutasa. Since he hails from this province, he might want to use it as a base to launch any form of mischief. We should stand up against any machinations that Mutasa and his friends might be planning.

"We should close all our doors on him and leave him alone in the political wilderness. We cannot allow our province to be used by individuals pursuing selfish agendas. Mutasa should be treated like a rogue element. All those who were a thorn in our flesh should step aside and leave us to move forward with our programmes," said Chinamasa.

He said there was no going back on Manicaland's resolution to have Mutasa expelled from the party for his uncouth behaviour in which he is rubbishing the outcome of the December 6th National People's Congress.

"Mutasa's case was referred to the national disciplinary committee of which I am a member and we will soon sit to deliberate on it. It is not us members of the national disciplinary committee who said Mutasa should go but the people of Manicaland.

"People from Headlands also petitioned the Politburo to have Mutasa recalled as the legislator Headlands constituency and we will respect the people's wishes," said Chinamasa. He told the gathering of more than 3 000 people that the provincial leadership had agreed that Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is also the national secretary for transport and welfare as well as the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, to be the party's leader in Manicaland.

"We sat down and agreed that Muchinguri-Kashiri is our leader here in Manicaland. We want one centre of power and as your leadership we meet regularly to chart the way forward and I am happy that there is now unity of purpose in the province," he said.

Chinamasa said all party cadres who were either suspended or removed from office through votes of no confidence ahead of last December's congress remain ordinary card-carrying members.

"Let me take this opportunity to clear the air on the issue of suspended party cadres. They remain in the party as ordinary card-carrying members. Suspended sitting Members of the National Assembly are allowed to attend provincial co-ordination committee meetings because they are part of the PCC.

"There was a lot of confusion regarding this issue and I hope my explanation will clear the air and allow everyone to work together. We do not want unnecessary disturbances and utterances in the party," said Chinamasa.