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Mnangagwa critic seeks return to ZANU-PF
5 hrs ago | Views
Former ZANU-PF youth leader Godfrey Tsenengamu has applied for readmission into the ruling party, five years after he was expelled for openly accusing senior officials of corruption.
Tsenengamu, along with fellow youth leader Lewis Matutu, was dismissed in 2020 after naming influential businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei as part of a cartel they alleged was sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy. Ironically, Tagwirei has since risen within the party's ranks and now sits in the powerful Central Committee.
Speaking on his bid to return, Tsenengamu said his expulsion did not diminish his loyalty to ZANU-PF.
"Remember, I have always been a ZANU-PF person except for the moments I was expelled from the Party. I have never volunteered to come out of ZANU-PF of my own will, and that must tell everyone concerned why I am seeking to go back. I have always believed in this party, its ideology and its aims and objectives," he said.
After leaving ZANU-PF, Tsenengamu founded the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ), which later aligned itself with former ZANU-PF Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere ahead of the 2023 elections. Kasukuwere was eventually barred from contesting the presidential race.
Tsenengamu maintained that his return bid does not mean he now endorses all party operations.
"By seeking to rejoin ZANU-PF, that does not mean that I agree to everything everyone does within the party, but there is no point in giving up on the organisation you also worked to grow. Differences will always be there even in institutions like families and churches, and ZANU-PF is no exception," he said.
If successful, Tsenengamu's return would mark a dramatic turnaround for a politician once branded a renegade, raising questions about his role in the ruling party's shifting dynamics.
Tsenengamu, along with fellow youth leader Lewis Matutu, was dismissed in 2020 after naming influential businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei as part of a cartel they alleged was sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy. Ironically, Tagwirei has since risen within the party's ranks and now sits in the powerful Central Committee.
Speaking on his bid to return, Tsenengamu said his expulsion did not diminish his loyalty to ZANU-PF.
"Remember, I have always been a ZANU-PF person except for the moments I was expelled from the Party. I have never volunteered to come out of ZANU-PF of my own will, and that must tell everyone concerned why I am seeking to go back. I have always believed in this party, its ideology and its aims and objectives," he said.
Tsenengamu maintained that his return bid does not mean he now endorses all party operations.
"By seeking to rejoin ZANU-PF, that does not mean that I agree to everything everyone does within the party, but there is no point in giving up on the organisation you also worked to grow. Differences will always be there even in institutions like families and churches, and ZANU-PF is no exception," he said.
If successful, Tsenengamu's return would mark a dramatic turnaround for a politician once branded a renegade, raising questions about his role in the ruling party's shifting dynamics.
Source - NewZimbabwe
