Chipanga a creature of habit

Yesterday, the leader of the Zanu-PF Youth League Kudzanai Chipanga issued an apology to the Defence Forces. Instead of owning up to his gross and grievous error in judgment he chose to implicate me and insinuate I was the author of the misconceived statement. I would like, from the outset, to categorically and unreservedly deny any involvement with the said statement and any association with the Press statement in any manner. This is not the first time Chipanga has issued abusive statements aimed at national leaders and this was not the first invective-fuelled Press statement he has issued and certainly not the last.

He is a man given to hysterical and imposing dreams not centred on reality. As such, the Press statement he issued is consistent with his abrasive nature and he should not impute blameworthiness on innocent souls like me. I am a private individual and businessman who has no inclination or propensity to abuse or scorn others as that does not improve my business or associations with other people.

Accordingly, I regret the day I met Chipanga and entertained him, not knowing that he was merely looking for a scapegoat whom he would blackmail and pin his acts upon. A demonstration of my detachment from these issues is that Mr Chipanga came to my house in the company of Jonathan Moyo and Minister Kasukuwere, urging me to attack Vice President Mnangagwa in retribution for an article that had appeared in the Independent newspaper.

In the article I was alleged to have promised General Trust Mugoba a role as General in return for him joining the G40. A ready-made statement was handed to me and I was supposed to sign it. I refused to sign it or associate myself with G40 and its destructive politics.

The person who writes such statements is well known in Zimbabwe's political circles and was the one agitating for me to sign the document. That person's hand is evident in the infamous Press statement and the language, diction and style is familiar to most Zimbabwean readers.

He is the one who wrote the statement not me. I am reliably informed that there is a WhatsApp screenshot circulating, where Jonathan Moyo is ordering Tongai to ensure Chipanga reads the full statement. This explains why Chipanga was jittery. No wonder why everyone is happy with the stance taken by the military to place these culprits behind bars.

In any case, Zanu-PF is a party of protocol and works with its structures that drive its organs. I am not a member of its structures and there is no way I could have given him this statement as he takes orders from his superiors in the party he, does not want to name and use me as a scapegoat.

My investigations reveal the following;

(i) Kudzi Chipanga scheduled the Press conference a night before. What document did he propose to read out at the conference?

(ii) He alleges he received the document from me at 0800hrs, assuming this is true, which assumption is not an admission but hypothesis, he only read it out at 1000hrs. What was he doing with the document for those two hours? Was he editing it or seeking approval for it?

(iii) He does not say he was coerced or induced to read the statement, showing he did it on his own

(iv) It is not a defence for an adult man to say he was influenced to commit crimes

(v) He ends his statement by banging the table and shouting "Pasi neLacoste!", showing he owned the statement and was running the show.

(vi) All this shows that Chipanga's story is manifestly defective and demonstrably false.

I now turn to the Generals of the (Zimbabwe) Defence Forces. As an individual, I applaud the men in uniform for arresting a deteriorating political, social and economic situation in the country. You acted at the opportune time and you will go down in history for preserving the fabric of our nation and saving a revolution which had begun to eat its own children. Given the few interactions I have had with some of the armed forces, I know that there are brilliant business minds in the military, who will take the country to a new level. We have all the trust in you.

Long live the revolution!

My appeal to you as a young businessman is to have leniency and the grace to continue dealing with the situation peacefully and with wisdom and without recriminations on those who did certain actions out of ignorance. Most of the people are young and they have been exposed to only one centre of power their whole life . . . It is fear, immaturity and the folly of youth tempered with a fear of the unknown that motivated certain rash actions and decisions.

My heart and soul will support you to the end!
As for people like Chipanga, my advice is never let your mouth write a cheque your body can't cash!