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Cletus Mushanawani and Felex Share Harare Bureau
Zanu-PF Manicaland province yesterday wrote to the Politburo recommending the expulsion of former secretary for Administration Cde Didymus Mutasa for denigrating President Mugabe and the ruling party.

The decision was made at a Provincial Coordinating Commitee meeting attended by members of the Youth League, Women’s League, the main wing, war veterans, war collaborators, ex-detainees and Members of Parliament.

The meeting was held at Mutare Polytechnic where the members also agreed that Cde Mutasa should be recalled as Headlands National Assembly member as he could no longer enjoy the privilege of representing Zanu-PF in the august House.

A member of the Manicaland PCC, Cde Oppah Muchinguri, confirmed a letter recommending the expulsion of Cde Mutasa had been written after the meeting.

“By his actions he’s already expelled himself,” said Cde Muchinguri. “He’s a card carrying member from Manicaland and for him to make a statement without consulting us as the province is unacceptable.

“We distance ourselves from his actions. It’s simply lack of respect for President Mugabe who has chosen Cde (Ignatius) Chombo to be the new secretary for Administration.

“His blow by blow attack on congress is baffling because he took part in organising that Congress. The fact that he failed to win an election to the Central Committee doesn’t mean that there’s no democracy in Zanu-PF.”

Cde Muchinguri said Cde Mutasa’s use of the Zanu-PF letterhead and symbol on his statement to the private media was offensive.

Zanu-PF secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa, who hails from the province, addressed the meeting explaining the gravity of Cde Mutasa’s statement.

After Cde Chinamasa enlightened the meeting on the matter, everyone was in agreement that Cde Mutasa should be given the boot.

They said the resolution to expel Cde Mutasa should be forwarded to the Politburo as soon as possible so that the party’s highest decision making body outside Congress can expel him expeditiously.

“We’ve a serious disease here in Manicaland, but the unfortunate thing is that most senior members are the victims of the political disease,” said Cde Chinamasa.

“The same power hungry disease that affected the likes of Ndabaningi Sithole, Abel Muzorewa, Edgar Tekere, Margaret Dongo, Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni has taken a toll on Didymus Mutasa. However, what the nation needs to know is that people of Manicaland have developed immunity to this disease and they know how to dump those infected.

“We were all shocked to read Cde Mutasa disowning a process which he was part of since the beginning up to the days of the Congress.

“He was actively involved in the organisation of the chaotic youth conference. It was the same with the women’s conference, but today out of the blue he’s saying the whole process was flawed.

“No degree of madness surpasses this and if there’s anyone who can find a proper psychiatrist, he should assist our dear lost comrade.”

Cde Chinamasa said Cde Mutasa showed his political naivety by writing to Sadc and the African Union seeking their intervention on the issue, forgetting that Zanu-PF is not an affiliate of those organisations.

“One major issue which we can’t forgive Cde Mutasa is his utterances that the highly successful 6th National People’s Congress was a non-event,” he said.

“This is pure madness. Kupenga kwakaita sei ikoko? (what sort of madness is this?) According to all those who had a chance to sit in all the congresses held since 1963, they said last December’s Congress was the best in terms of everything. More than 12,000 delegates participated at the Congress,” Cde Chinamasa said.

“He participated in all the meetings where these resolutions were passed even here in Manicaland. He was part and parcel of the constitutional amendments deliberations both in the Politburo and Central Committee.

“Everything was done above board and the amendments were taken to the Central Committee where they were ratified and accepted,” he said.

“On the issue of one-man, one-vote, Cde Mutasa should be the last person to claim that there’s no democracy in the party.

“He lost the Central Committee elections where he actively participated. He’s one person who didn’t go through a primary election to win a parliamentary seat.

“Every time when we were preparing to go for an election he would ensure that there was no challenger in his constituency, but today he’s uttering rubbish saying there’s no democracy in the party.

“Cde Mutasa should wake up to reality and know that he’s no longer secretary for Administration. His position was filled by Dr Chombo.”