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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
ZANU-PF will no longer give dissenters leadership positions if ever they are given a second chance to join the revolutionary party, Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

Cde Mnangagwa said history has taught Zanu-PF that characters like expelled former secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa and former party spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, will always betray the values and principles of the revolutionary party.

He said this on Thursday while addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at a campaign rally held at Chiwodza Primary School, Mvuma, for Cde Auxilia Mnangagwa, the party candidate for the Chirumanzu- Zibagwe National Assembly by-election set for March 27.

Acting President Mnangagwa said Gumbo always showed traits of being a trouble maker and a rebel even during the liberation struggle.

“Rugare Gumbo with fellow comrades like Hamadziripi revolted against the party leadership in Mozambique and we arrested them. Because we were in the middle of a war and couldn’t keep on standing guard over them, Fox Gava (the late national hero Vitalis Zvinavashe) came with this idea which saw us digging a large hole after which he let these rebels down with a ladder before removing it. We covered the top with tree branches and grass and continued fighting at the same time feeding them,” he said.

Acting President Mnangagwa said in 1979, Gumbo and his people were released.

He said to show that Gumbo had not reformed, he contested the 1980 general elections on a Zanu Ndonga ticket, a party led by the late Ndabaningi Sithole.

Acting President Mnangagwa said Gumbo was frozen out and remained in the political wilderness for many years in which he worked in the corporate sector until he was readmitted into the revolutionary party,

Upon his readmission, Cde Mnangagwa said, Gumbo was given ministerial positions at the turn of the millennium, including Minister of Economic Development in 2005 and later Agriculture Minister in 2007.

“Gumbo also served in the party central committee and politburo leading to his appointment to the spokesperson portfolio. He rebelled again with Mutasa and the two were working with people who wanted to topple President Mugabe.”

“We thought then that he had been in political rehabilitation and had changed his rebellious ways. So we aren’t going to do that again. He was in command and rebelled. We were wrong in re-admitting him and giving him a senior position. We aren’t going to do that again,” said the Acting President.

He said Zanu-PF was like an elephant which could not be distracted by barking dogs.

He said the late Vice President, Cde Joshua Nkomo used to say that people on the dining table could not be disturbed from eating by a meowing cat.

“Zanu-PF is a united front and no matter what, people like Gumbo and the opposition will never distract it. Zanu-PF will continue to rule. Look at MDC-T, it’s now in bits and pieces and we’re growing stronger by the day as a party and we’ll continue ruling this country. We’ll continue ruling while MDC continues to bark,” said the Acting President.