Shamu ‘coup’ sparks outrage in Zanu PF

The introduction of Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration and Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa as the acting national chairman by Zanu-PF national political commissar Webster Shamu at the commemoration of the ruling Zanu-PF’s July 31, 2013 victory has sparked outrage within the party.

The introduction came as a surprise to many considering that Mutasa is eyeing the position of national chairman at the party’s elective Congress in December.

While making the introduction, Shamu said Mutasa was the acting national chairman and was “acting finance” and a minister in the President’s Office.

Shamu went on to jokingly remark that Mutasa was acting in too many capacities.

National chairman Simon Khaya Moyo yesterday said a person could only be appointed in an acting capacity when the substantive holder of that position is out of the country.

Such appointments, he said, were made by the President.

“I was in the country and such appointments are only made when one is out of the country,” Khaya Moyo said. “When you are out of the country, obviously the President can appoint someone to act.”

Zanu-PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, who was present at the function, said Mutasa was only acting for the event that was held at State House.

He said there was nothing amiss about the introduction made by Shamu because Mutasa at times chaired meetings in the absence of Khaya Moyo, the national chairman.

“He (Mutasa) was the acting chairman at that function and in the absence of Khaya Moyo he chairs meetings,” he said. “There was nothing wrong about that.”

Gumbo’s sentiments were, however, dismissed by several party members who said claiming that Mutasa chaired meetings in Khaya Moyo’s absence was a no brainer in this case given that this was not the national chairman’s function but the President’s function.

Contacted for comment, Shamu said he introduced Mutasa as the acting national chairman because he was doing so for the particular event only in the absence of Khaya Moyo.

Mutasa, he said, was the second in command in the national elections directorate which organised the victory celebration event.

“Cde Khaya Moyo said he was not there, so report to Cde Mutasa,” he said. “When we are at the party level Cde Mutasa chairs the national elections directorate in the absence of Cde Khaya Moyo.”

When told that his remarks had caused concern within the party, Shamu then said reporters did not clearly capture what he said.

“I introduced Cde Mutasa as the acting secretary for finance and that he is also secretary for administration and then I went on to indicate that national chairman Cde Khaya Moyo was not around,” he said. “So people perhaps thought that I had also said he was acting national chairman because of the sequence.”

Zanu-PF is set to hold its elective Congress in December, and the Congress will be preceded by the Youths and Women’s League Conferences scheduled for this month. The Herald