I’m not second VP — Mphoko

By Godfrey Mtimba

MASVINGO – Vice president Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday dressed down Psychomotor minister Josiah Hungwe, telling him to stop addressing him as a “second vice president”.

Delivering a public lecture on national healing at Great Zimbabwe University yesterday, Mphoko embarrassed Hungwe in front of students by cautioning him never to address him as second vice president.

He claimed in Zanu PF, there was nothing like that.

“Before I proceed, I would like to make a point of correction to Cde Hungwe,” Mphoko said. “We do not have a first and second vice president in our structures. We just have two vice presidents.”

Hungwe had earlier addressed Mphoko as second vice president during introductions to the university students.

Hungwe is a well-known praise-singer of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and has equated the former Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe MP to Jesus Christ and also called him  “son of God”.

Mphoko said: “We only have one first secretary of the party, who is President Robert Mugabe, and two second secretaries of the party who are the vice presidents, so I wanted to make that correction.”

Hungwe fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat as he was reprimanded.

Earlier, Hungwe had likened Mphoko to the Biblical Moses.

Mphoko also exonerated Mugabe on charges of deliberately plotting the massacre of civilians during Gukurahundi, one of the worst atrocities of the 80s that rights groups claim killed over 20 000.

“The whole thing was caused by the West through their divide-and-rule tactics,” he claimed. “President Mugabe was not responsible for Gukurahundi and he is clean on accusations made against him.”

Mphoko claimed western countries fabricated lies that Zipra combatants were planning a civil war.

He said Zimbabwe would soon establish a National Reconciliation Commission to deal with the Gukurahundi issue once and for all, but said the setting up of the commission was being stymied by a funding shortfall. Daily News