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Christopher Mutsvangwa

From George Maponga in Masvingo
THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association provincial leadership in Masvingo has dismissed the alleged vote of no confidence in their leader Cde Tendeukai Chinooneka as a nullity and expressed full confidence in the leadership of national chairperson, Cde Chris Mutsvangwa.

The association lashed out at a group of war veterans from the province led by ex-war veterans Masvingo provincial chair, Cde Isaiah Muzenda, for claiming to have passed the no-confidence vote in Cde Chinooneka’s leadership when they had no locus standi to do so.

Speaking during an emergency meeting attended by over 50 Masvingo war veterans provincial and district executive leaders that was held at the Chiefs’ Hall yesterday, the ex-freedom fighters said Cde Mutsvangwa remained their national chairperson, saying those calling for him to step down were “divisionists” and power hungry people bent on weakening the war veterans association and eventually the ruling Zanu-PF party.

The move by the war veterans association in Masvingo followed claims made by a group of war veterans from the province led by Cde Muzenda, who told  The Chronicle on Tuesday that they had passed a vote of no-confidence in Cde Chinooneka and wanted Cde Mutsvangwa to step down.

The group said Cde Mutsvangwa was supposed to step down for aligning himself with ousted former war veterans’ leader Cde Jabulani Sibanda while Cde Chinooneka was accused of allegedly participating in an unsanctioned meeting meant to demonstrate against President Mugabe in Harare.

However, Cde Chinooneka rubbished Cde Mutsvangwa’s ouster as a nullity saying leaders were not elected and removed from office through newspapers.

Cde Chinooneka, who was flanked by his secretary general Cde Benjamin Nyaweda and political commissar Cde Silas Ndlovu, said Cde Muzenda and his team had no right to pass the vote of no confidence as they were not members of the provincial executive.

“I don’t know most of the guys who passed the so-called vote of no confidence. People cannot just mushroom from nowhere and say they have passed a vote of no confidence on someone.

“That’s nonsense. We don’t know them, and they have never attended even a single war veterans’ meeting,” he said.