Jonathan Moyo failed in bid to become war commander — Mutsvangwa

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Zanu PF politburo member and current Higher and Tertiary Education minister, Jonathan Moyo, is bitter that he did not become a commander during the war of liberation when his alleged father, Ndabaningi Sithole, was deposed, according to a rival, Christopher Mutsvangwa.

Sithole, then leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu) and its military wing, Zanla, was forced out in 1975 through the Mgagao Declaration, with Robert Mugabe becoming party leader later.

Mutsvangwa has in the recent past alleged that Moyo is the late Sithole’s son.

He told the local independent media in an interview that Moyo had hoped to be as a commander under Sithole’s leadership, but his dream was dashed when his “father” was deposed.

His rivals have derisively referred to Moyo as a war deserter.

“So petty and parochial, Moyo’s grudge stems from the Mgagao (Declaration) and how it dethroned Ndabaningi Sithole.

“Moyo recalls how he was so near to being a top Zanla general back in 1975, as a Ndau or Ndau-sponsored kingpin at Mgagao. He thinks Zanla is a clan mercenary band and not revolutionary army,’ said Mutsvangwa.

Mutsvangwa, the chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), has been expelled from Zanu PF for speaking out against Mugabe and his wife, Grace, and recalled from parliament.

There is no love lost between the ZNLWVA and a Zanu PF faction called Generation 40 (G40) to which Moyo is linked.

The G40 outfit, which also reportedly includes Mugabe’s wife, Grace, is bitterly opposed to a rival camp, Team Lacoste, led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa that is said to want Mugabe out before the next general elections in 2018.

The war veterans movement has openly supported Mnangagwa as Mugabe’s successor. Nehanda Radio