By Samantha Chigogo
A faction of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWA) led by Manicaland Provincial Minister of State Mandi Chimene yesterday dug-in, and said the vote of no-confidence passed against the Christopher Mutsvangwa-led executive remains unchanged.
This comes after the Chimene-led faction announced that she would lead the interim executive as its acting chairperson.
Addressing journalists yesterday, Chimene said the resolution to boot out Mutsvangwa and his wife Monica, secretary-general Victor Matemadanda and member of the executive Headman Moyo should not be contested.
“It is always a norm for people to complain after any form of expulsion and it takes time for someone booted out to accept his or her fate and just go peacefully,” she said.
“As it is, we stand by our resolution and the continued ranting by Cde Chris Mutsvangwa will not stop us from standing firm with our position that he remains suspended.”
Chimene said Mutsvangwa would not go unpunished for insulting the First Family.
“As we have been saying before, he is being blamed for insulting the First Family as well as denigrating our patron for the war veterans association. Hence we shall be moving around all provinces explaining what it is exactly that led us to the decision of suspending Cde Mutsvangwa and his top leadership,” she said.
“Insults on the First Lady or the First Family are culturally uncalled for and it’s unheard of for anyone to publicly launder insults at the First Family. That should be stopped and we will not sit back and watch people going astray.”
Chimene blamed some party cadres for pushing successionist agendas in the party.
“You must remember that the Mujuru-led faction started by doing exactly as some of these people are doing now. The indications are already there and clear for everyone to see,” she said.
“These indications alone should tell us more of what is coming. Some people are off track and all this confusion is just a way of announcing themselves and their agendas. That is why they are better off aside and doing what they want without dismantling the party.”
Chimene said: “People should just come out in the open and declare their agenda because as it is some people are already hungry for positions. We can continue beating about the bush but as cadres of the party, it is our right to stop this before it manifests itself into something bigger.”
Chimene said a new war veterans’ national executive would be elected within the next three months.
“We are not personalising his expulsion. We are just following the people’s will. We have a mandate to do as the people of Zimbabwe want. In three months’ time, we will have done everything to sustain the election of the new war veterans’ chairman and his executive,” she said.
Meanwhile provincial chairpersons and national executive members from all the country’s 10 provinces have rubbished Mutsvangwa’s suspension and rallied behind him and his executive saying their dismissal is null and void. The Herald
