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Farirai Machivenyika and Felex Share Harare Bureau
THE First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe yesterday said the senior member who is the architect of factionalism in Zanu-PF was responsible for the formation of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn parties which were mooted in the person’shouse.
In another fiery speech at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera to end her provincial tours and widely believed to be aimed at Vice President Joice Mujuru, Cde Grace Mugabe said the people behind factionalism worked with the MDC in a futile bid to stop last year’s harmonised elections.

“Chinonetsa ndechekuti munhu iyeye arikuleader zvinhu zvefaction ndiye mumba make makafomwa MDC munhu iyeye. Munhu mumwechete iyeye mumba make makafomwa Mavambo tichingozvinzwa tichinyarara. Hazvirambike nekuti zvaiitika ikoko,” Cde Mugabe said. (The same person who is fanning factionalism in the party is the same person in whose house the MDC was formed. Mavambo was also formed in the same house and there is no denial).

“Nekuti takaenda kunovhota last year tikati tine candidate yedu yatakaita put forward, vaMugabe (We went for elections last year and the candidate we put forward was Cde Mugabe) but before we went to the elections, the very same elements who are fanning factionalism are the same people who did not want the elections, that’s the truth.

“Vanhu ivavo varikuita factionalism vangavasingadi kuti tiende kumaelections. Vaiita vachishanda neMDC vachiti aiwa hatidi zvemalection.” (These people who are faction leaders didn’t want us to go for elections. They were working with the MDC).

The First Lady dressed down Zanu-PF Mashonaland East provincial chairman Cde Ray Kaukonde, who was present at the rally, for using his wealth to bankroll factionalism in the party.

The MDC was formed in 1999 following the implementation of the fast track land reform programme, but has lost successive elections to Zanu-PF since then and has been abandoned by most of its foreign backers.

Mavambo was formed by former Zanu-PF politburo members Dr Simba Makoni and Dr Dumiso Dabengwa on the eve of the 2008 harmonised elections and the two claimed there were a number of senior Zanu-PF members who were also behind the project.

Mavambo has been dormant after getting eight percent of the vote in the first round of the 2008 harmonised elections, while the MDC-T is nearing collapse due to successive splits.

Cde Mugabe said while she might not have mentioned any person by name, people had the right to infer who she was referring to.
“We’ve said the moment of truth will come,” she said. “I might not be mentioning names, but if people decode the information in a particular way, that’s not my problem. When the truth has been told and people zero in on you, it’s your problem because it’s you who started it.”

Cde Mugabe took Cde Kaukonde to the cleaners for lying about factionalism in the province when he knew it existed.
“I asked them (Mashonaland East provincial executive members) and they said there’s no factionalism in Mashonaland East,” she said.
“I told him that you’re lying Kaukonde. He just smiled, I told him that you’re chairman and you know that money is exchanging hands. We don’t want to lie to each other that we are unaware of it.

“He (Cde Kaukonde) smiles, but this is a fake smile because the moment I leave, he starts denouncing me. I called him in 2008 and I almost punched him. I tell him the truth and he knows that I stand for the truth. I told him that the moment of reckoning for factionalism is around the corner. I love you Kaukonde, but what has gone wrong? Do you want us to have another mini unity accord. Ahh arikuramba unity accord (Ahh he doesn’t want unity accord). Let’s have a unity accord, didn’t you see it in Harare?

“You’re the chairman of the province and you must show that you’re a leader.
“The President has given you the power to lead in the provinces and if you abuse your positions it’s not proper. Somebody should have the guts to tell them to stop it.”

Cde Mugabe said Cde Kaukonde was a person of means and was using his money to buy support from the people.
“Nekuti Kaukonde uri munhu wemari iwe. Pandasvika pano ndati madzimai kune factionalism here vakati hakuna, izvo vanenge vachitya boss kuti haazovape mari. Ahh, kakabata, kane madzimai kana hundred. (Kaukonde has money and people are afraid of saying the truth because they know they’ll not get the money.)

“We don’t want that Cde Kaukonde. I’m saying so because you’re my husband’s son and for you to be what you are, unless you lied, it’s because of President Mugabe. When did you change? Stop it!”

The First Lady said Cde Kaukonde was being used in perpetuating factionalism and she was not afraid to tell him that.
“I’m saying so because he’s the one who’s used when it comes to factionalism. He’s my relative and isn’t related to that person practising factionalism. I’ve come here to take my relative (Kaukonde),” she said.

The First Lady reiterated that she had worked hard to establish her business and had borrowed $20 million to finance her family’s ventures.

She reiterated that VP Mujuru was corrupt since she was involved in illicit diamond deals, extortion of shareholding from companies and had attempted to defend parastatal bosses who were implicated in corruption in the famous salarygate scandal at the beginning of the year.

Cde Mugabe said while she had been approached to assume leadership of the Women’s League, some people were plotting to topple President Mugabe despite the fact that he was given the mandate to lead by the people.

She said the same people leading factional fights were colluding with the MDC formations last year in a failed attempt to stop the conduct of harmonised elections.

“Toenda kumaelections Baba vomira kuti tirikuda nyika bedzi, tahwina gore harisati rapera hanzi Mugabe chibva. Pakamboitwa here agreement yakadaro yekuti tahwina maelections Mugabe akutobva, hapana zvakambodaro. (We go to the elections and the President remains resolute that we want our land and we win, less than a year after the victory they say Mugabe must go. Was there any agreement that after we win elections the President must step down? There was no such thing). We went to the women and youth conferences and President Mugabe was endorsed as the sole candidate and First Secretary of Zanu-PF. That’s what people want.”
Cde Mugabe said those leading factions had shares in newspapers and were paying journalists to write bad articles about the First Family.

“Anonyepa ndeupi apa, wekuDaily News ndeupi, wekuNewsDay ndeupi? (So who’s lying here, who’s from the Daily News or News Day?) Group rese rakagara apa ndaona kuti ndopairi MDC. (This whole group is from MDC).  How much are you paid to write negative things about Amai Mugabe. Are you happy about that?

“I pray for you because you don’t know anything. Inzara here? (Is it poverty because of sanctions?) Masanctions abaya? Endai kunaleader wenyu Tsvangirai muti tobaiwa nemasanctions (Go to your leader Tsvangirai and tell him sanctions are affecting us). Writing sensational stories is because you want to eat. This is not proper. We don’t hate you but we pray for you to know what’s good and bad. Ungabva wadaro amai vako nekuda kwe$200. (Can you do that to your mother because of $200?)”

Cde Mugabe also dressed down Mashonaland East youth chairperson Cde Lucky Kandemiri for boycotting her rallies together with provincial youth chairpersons from Manicaland and Masvingo.

This, she said, was evidence that the trio were receiving instructions from people in high offices.