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Harare Bureau
Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for Matabeleland North, Cde Richard Moyo, says he does not expect to be booted out like what has happened to his counterparts because he has never been part of a team that allegedly wanted to unconstitutionally remove President Mugabe frompower.

This came as party stalwarts from the province said they had no complaints against Cde Moyo as such, he should survive the ongoing purges.

Cde Moyo is the last man standing after votes of no confidence against provincial chairs Cdes Ray Kaukonde (Mashonaland East), Temba Mliswa (Mashonaland West), Callisto Gwanetsa (Masvingo), Jason Machaya (Midlands), Amos Midzi (Harare), Andrew Langa (Matabeleland South), Professor Callistus Ndlovu (Bulawayo), John Mvundura (Manicaland) and Luke Mushore (Mashonaland Central).

In an interview with our Harare Bureau yesterday, Cde Moyo said his secret was loyalty to the revolutionary party, President Mugabe and taking advice from his superiors in the province.

“The reason I’ve survived is because I don’t do factions because I know they destroy the party,” said Cde Moyo. “Chairmen in this province used to be suspended frequently and I learnt from that.

“I knew if I became treacherous, I would be suspended or fired hence I remained committed to uniting all structures from the cells to the politburo. As we speak, Matabeleland North is united among the politburo, central committee and provincial coordinating committee members.

“I was never approached by those people who’ve been doing factionalism because they knew I would expose them. My major strength is that I listen to advice from all the structures of the party including members of the politburo, central committee, provincial coordinating committee and lower structures.”

Cde Moyo, who joined the party in 1991, started as a cell member before being elected youth chairperson for Magobho district in Umguza in 1996, a post he held for 14 years.

He was then elected chairperson for Magobho district in the main wing in 2006 before being appointed acting political commissar when the substantive commissar was suspended.

Cde Moyo was then elected district coordinating committee chairperson in 2009 and after the provincial chairperson and his deputy were suspended, he was elected provincial chairperson in 2012.

“I was then re-elected provincial chairperson at last year’s elections maybe because when I took over in 2012 Zanu-PF only had three out of 13 seats in the province,” he said.

“But in the July 31 harmonised elections we managed to garner seven seats mainly because of the role I played in uniting people. I would say I have remained loyal to the party, to the President and the people who elected me. That’s why my name isn’t appearing in these factional things.”

Some quarters believe Cde Moyo will survive because of his close links to politburo member and Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Cde Obert Mpofu.

But Cde Moyo said he was not bothered by people who make such statements as long as he was being linked to people who were loyal to the party and President Mugabe.

“If they say I’m his person then he’s a good adviser because he didn’t advise me to do factional things that would’ve seen me in trouble,” he said.

“What I can say is that I’m working well with all politburo members, central committee and provincial coordinating committee members who’re advising me on how to run the party in the province.”

Cde Mpofu said they had no complaints against Cde Moyo since he managed to suppress factionalism in the province.

“He’s been very effective in stemming factionalism out of the province because there’re some very senior people who were part of this agenda of bribing people,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Mashonaland West, the provincial executive committee yesterday passed a vote of no confidence in provincial secretary for administration Cde Kindness Paradza and three other executive members for fanning factionalism and inciting lawlessness.

A total of 28 provincial executive members out of 35 signed the vote of no confidence in Cde Paradza, deputy secretary for business and liaison Cde Joshua Chakona, provincial commissar Cde Adrian Musiiwa and deputy secretary for security Cde Stephen Karenga.

In Manicaland, the women’s league executive yesterday passed a vote of no confidence in its secretary for finance Cde Pedigree Matara and secretary for production and labour Cde Febbie Nyahangara.

Cde Matara was booted out over misappropriation of party funds which were allegedly used to buy votes during the league’s national conference recently, while Cde Nyahangara was accused of being the main player in the vote buying scandal that rocked Nyanga during the elections.

In Harare, the provincial youth league executive on Tuesday booted out six of its members, while the Women’s League fired its deputy chairwoman Cde Miriam Chikukwa, political commissar Cde Susan Chuma and deputy secretary for administration Cde Constance Dhembeko for fanning factionalism and undermining the authority of the province.

A total of 30 out of 40 youth executive members signed the vote of no confidence, while 29 out of 38 women’s league members signed for the ousting of its members at the party’s provincial headquarters and called for Vice President Joice Mujuru’s resignation.

The women’s league executive committee members replaced Cde Chikukwa with the secretary for finance Cde Omega Hungwe, while Cde Chuma was replaced with secretary for education Cde Baya Munyawiri to both act on an interim capacity.

Harare youth league provincial secretary for administration Cde Tawanda Kadengu said executive members had also reversed the vote of no confidence passed unconstitutionally in its chairman Cde Godwin Gomwe.