Mutasa, Mliswa expelled

Samukange, Kereke back in Zanu-PF fold

Mliswa, MutasaFarirai Machivenyika Harare Bureau
THE Zanu-PF Politburo yesterday expelled former Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa and Hurungwe West National Assembly member Temba Mliswa from the party on the basis of various charges including undermining the party and its leadership.

The decision to expel Mutasa and his nephew Mliswa, was reached following deliberations by the Zanu-PF National Disciplinary Committee chaired by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, announced the expulsion of the duo at a press conference after yesterday’s Politburo meeting.

“On Cde Didymus Mutasa, a detailed report by the NDC was presented to the Politburo by the Secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa, highlighting the disparaging remarks made by Cde Mutasa against the party and the party’s leadership and his rubbishing of the Congress as illegal, null and void.

“He went on to write to Sadc leaders appealing for their intervention in the party’s affairs. The Committee treated his case as unique and extraordinary and determined that according to its rules, Cde Mutasa continued to be unrepentant and continued to issue statements, which are unhelpful to him. The Politburo has, therefore, expelled Cde Didymus Mutasa from the party, which renders his parliamentary seat (Headlands) vacant,” Cde Khaya Moyo said.

Mutasa was part of the putschist cabal led by former Vice President Joice Mujuru, accused of plotting to illegally unseat and/or assassinate President Robert Mugabe.

Mutasa dismally lost Central Committee elections in his Makoni Central District and subsequently failed to make it into the Politburo.

He has also threatened to take his case to the courts, but was still to file his papers after being snubbed by several lawyers who said his court bid was long on political allegations and short on law.

Mutasa’s home province of Manicaland and people in his Headlands constituency had recommended his expulsion from the party.

On Mliswa, the Politburo also found him guilty of disrespecting the party’s leadership and disrupting party meetings in Mashonaland West province.

“On Cde Temba Mliswa, he has also been expelled from the party on an array of charges ranging from insubordination, denigrating party leaders, interfering with the running of the party’s youth and women’s leagues in the province, extortionist behaviour and continually disrupting party meetings.

“His expulsion also renders his seat vacant,” Cde Khaya-Moyo said.

Mliswa was the first chairman to receive a no-confidence vote in the run up to the 6th National People’s Congress for aligning himself with Cde Mujuru’s cabal but has remained unremorseful.

He has disrupted two Zanu-PF meetings in Chinhoyi and Karoi in the past three weeks.

Responding to the Politburo decision, Mliswa told ZBC News last night: “I don’t have a problem with that (expulsion) it will give me peace of mind.”

Meanwhile, the Politburo also readmitted Bikita West legislator Munyaradzi Kereke, Mudzi representative Cde Jonathan Samukange and Cde Daniel Garwe who contested and lost the Murehwa North seat in the 2013 harmonised election as an independent to Cde Tendai Makunde.

Cde Khaya Moyo said the Politburo had accepted the trio’s appeals against their expulsion from the party.

“On Cde Kereke, he was expelled from the party in 2013 after he stood as a candidate for Zanu-PF in the Bikita West constituency contrary to the party position, which recognised Cde Elias Musakwa.

“However, the party itself had duly signed Kereke’s papers somehow. Cde Kereke wrote to the NDC to have his case reviewed and it took sometime, but I can tell you that the view of the NDC is that Cde Kereke’s appeal should be upheld and he should retain his full membership of the party,” Cde Khaya Moyo said.

On Cde Samukange who also ran as an independent and won the Mudzi seat in the 2013 elections, the Politburo also accepted his appeal.

“We have accepted his application obviously meaning that the processes of parliament will take its course and we shall most likely have a by-election in that constituency,” Cde Khaya-Moyo said.

Cde Samukange welcomed the Politburo’s decision.

“Finally justice has been done. I have been exonerated on the stand I took after I had been unlawfully and unjustifiably disqualified to stand as a Zanu-PF candidate. I also want to thank the First Lady, Cde Grace Mugabe, who also exonerated me by exposing Ray Kaukonde and people like Didymus Mutasa for their machinations against the President.

“I was one of the first people to say Kaukonde was up to no good and I’m happy that I have been vindicated because I stood for the right thing. I have been a member of Zanu-PF since the 1970s when I was a student at the university and my record has been straightforward since then,” Cde Samukange said.

Cde Garwe also welcomed his readmission into the party.

The Constitution requires that a by-election be held if a person holding a seat as an independent candidate decides to join a political party.

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