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Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
THE war between Zanu-PF national commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere and Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena has spilled from Parliament to party structures.

Party youths in Harare yesterday called for the ouster of Cde Wadyajena as the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee chairperson on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment accusing him of abusing his position to settle personal scores.

The youths accused Cde Wadyajena of abusing his parliamentary powers to bad-mouth senior party officials, particularly Cde Kasukuwere.

Cdes Kasukuwere and Wadyajena recently had a public spat in Parliament when Cde Kasukuwere appeared before the committee to give oral evidence on circumstances surrounding the establishment of the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust.

The two politicians exchanged harsh words, with Cde Kasukuwere accusing Cde Wadyajena of doing a witch hunt on him. On Thursday, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment pressed contempt of Parliament charges against Cde Kasukuwere, accusing him of demeaning and putting the legislature into disrepute.

It is against this background that Zanu-PF youths in Harare argued that Cde Wadyajena was going too far and declared war on him.

Addressing Zanu-PF youths at the ground breaking ceremony of a Zanu-PF information centre in Hatfield, the youths took turns to lambast Cde Wadyajena.

Acting provincial youth chair for Harare Cde Edison Takataka said: “We note some youth are undermining our leaders in Parliament to the extent of blasting our national political commissar.

“We don’t want such people in the party. If you’re a Member of Parliament, your duty is to represent people in Parliament and not to blast party leadership in Parliament. As Harare youths we’re saying we don’t want such people.

“We want youths who can be commanded, not what (Cde) Wadyajena is doing in Parliament.”

Zanu-PF losing candidate for Hatfield in the July 31 2013 harmonised elections, Cde Acie Lumumba, said it was wrong for juniors in the party to challenge their seniors.

“How is it that you’re a chairman of a mere parliamentary portfolio committee, but you’ve the audacity of challenging the national political commissar who was appointed by the President on issues to do with indigenisation?” he asked.

“Is indigenisation (Cde) Kasukuwere’s child? Who is the father of indigenisation? So, where is (Cde) Kasukuwere coming in? If you challenge the national political commissar, next you’re slowly aiming to challenge the President.

“He (Cde Wadyajena) claims that he has the support of other senior members, I don’t know. Some of us we’re youths, maybe there is something that we’re missing. But if you want to find out his handlers, go for him and you expose them like in ‘scratch the puppy, draw out the mother’.

“So, chairman (Takataka), I’m saying I don’t know (Cde) Wadyajena’s handlers, I don’t know whose errands Wadyajena is running but if you take him to task, those behind him will reveal themselves.”

Responding to the attacks, Cde Wadyajena said he was simply carrying out his duties as enshrined in the Constitution.

“I’m not accountable to minnows whose thuggish behaviour coupled with ignorance of parliamentary processes has exposed them,” he said.

“We’re in Parliament representing Zimbabwe and guided by the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

“If they’ve a problem with the work of the committee and were wise enough they would approach Parliament authorities and not act in a manner inconsistent with party values. It’s unfortunate that Cde Lumumba, one of the few capable youths, if not the only one, lost in the last election in Hatfield constituency. I pray he had won so that he would appreciate parliamentary processes,” Cde Wadyajena said.

Cde Wadyajena said he had nothing against Cde Kasukuwere and it was unfortunate that Cde Lumumba and his colleagues were tarnishing Cde Kasukuwere’s name.

He said the public would be left in no doubt that Cde Lumumba was sent by Cde Kasukuwere, although he said he doubted that the Zanu-PF national commissar would stoop to such levels.