Mphoko was a sellout: Sibanda

By Fungi Kwaramba

HARARE – Fearless former war veterans’ leader, Jabulani Sibanda, claims that Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko sold out during the liberation struggle when he allegedly diverted weapons meant for the late Joshua Nkomo’s Zapu to President Mugabe’s Zanu, a move he says could have led to the needless death of thousands of people.

Damningly for Mphoko, a number of Zapu bigwigs who spoke to the Daily News yesterday — including Dumiso Dabengwa and Thomas Ngwenya (a former deputy to Mphoko) — appeared to buttress the claims.

Mphoko himself has previously admitted that he diverted weapons meant for Zapu’s military wing, Zipra, to Zanu’s Zimbabwe National African Liberation Army (Zanla).

Tearing into Mphoko with relish at the weekend, Sibanda said while there was nothing wrong per se in the VP having diverted weapons to a sister liberation movement, Zipra intelligence officials had subsequently discovered that some weapons that were in the hands of the Rhodesian Selous Scouts had serial numbers identical to those diverted by Mphoko.

“I know that he remained in Mozambique when others withdrew, and by his own admission he diverted weapons meant for Zipra to Zanla.

“I don’t have a problem with that sharing of weapons between liberation movements, but it was not done right,” Sibanda said.

Characteristically shooting from the hip, Sibanda added that some of the weapons that were diverted like anti-air missiles had resulted in Zapu cadres and supporters being left exposed as there was nothing for them to use to defend themselves against the Rhodesian Airforce — which allegedly led to “massacres”.

“People died because of Mphoko. There was nothing to use in defence. At the same time people were trained to use those weapons and so to have given them to people who were not trained was also like killing the Zanla combatants,” he charged.

Laying further into Mphoko, Sibanda said investigations by the Zipra intelligence had also allegedly discovered that not all weapons which were diverted went to Zanla.

Some of the weapons allegedly found their way to “the South African intelligence, which then found their way to Zimbabwe and were arming Selous Scouts who were moving with AK47s pretending to be guerrillas killing innocent people”.

“Now we know because Mphoko has said it with his own mouth that he diverted weapons. He therefore cannot accept that he diverted weapons to Zanu and then deny that some of the weapons went to South Africa. Some of the weapons used by the Selous Scouts had serial numbers that were so close to some weapons Zipra had,” he said.

Dabengwa, the former Zipra intelligence supremo — who was nicknamed the Black Russian during the liberation struggle — appeared to buttress Sibanda’s claims but was quick to say “it would not be fair for me to speak about the intelligence issues”.

“I have made my comments on Mphoko and I will not make any further comments on him. I don’t think that would be fair. Other comrades can speak, but my position does not allow me to speak,” Dabengwa said.

Asked if Zipra’s intelligence had gathered that Selous Scouts had been armed with artillery similar to that used by the guerrillas, Dabengwa said “it was true”.

“We heard about those allegations and we made our investigations and the allegations were proved to be true,” Dabengwa said.

Sibanda, who was accused by Mphoko of being a sodomite, said he had been provoked into exposing the VP because of his “insensitive comments”.

“This only shows that some weapons were diverted. Mphoko enriched himself with the blood of the people of this country. That is where he derives all this wealth that he is throwing around.

“He had a lavish wedding in Mozambique where people like (South African President Jacob) Zuma were part of his bridal team going to expensive hotels. Some of the weapons were used by Matsanga (Renamo) to destroy Zanu, which is what happens when you have zvipfukuto ( weevils) in your midst,” Sibanda said.

Mphoko is said to be closely connected to the fast growing Choppies Zimbabwe supermarkets, whose parent company Choppies is angling to list on the London stock exchange.

However, his stint as the Vice President has been dogged by a number of controversies, including his pronouncements on Gukurahundi, amid accusations that he is part of a faction of Zanu PF hardliners that is fighting his counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Contacted for comment, Ngwenya, Mphoko’s deputy during the liberation struggle, said the VP “just disappeared” when other comrades were arrested in Mozambique after a fallout between Zanu and Zapu.

“Our statistics were taken during the raid at Gwayi assembly point so I won’t confirm (if weapons were sold to the South Africans) but there is a possibility.

“Mphoko, as we were in Zipa just disappeared. I don’t know where he went. We only heard that he was in Maputo when we were in Tete. He only surfaced after independence, but where he went to and what he was doing nobody knows,” Ngwenya said.

Repeated efforts to get in touch with Mphoko yesterday were fruitless. Daily News