The infighting in Zanu PF yesterday spilled into the open, as the party fired former Mines and Mining Development minister Edward Chindori-Chininga from Copac with immediate effect.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa confirmed Chindori-Chininga had indeed been fired from Copac.
“That is true. It is all I can say to the Press right now because I cannot discuss the details with the Press,” Mutasa said.
Sources revealed to NewsDay yesterday that the Guruve South MP had engaged in a heated debate which almost degenerated into a fistfight with Copac co-chairman Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu PF) after Chindori-Chininga questioned Mangwana over the “continued false and conflicting statements” with other co-chairmen that he allegedly issued to the media.
Recently Mangwana told NewsDay that drafting of the new constitution would begin last Monday, but the other Copac co-chairmen, Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) and Edward Mkhosi (MDC), said it was not true as it was expected to begin in a fortnight.
According to sources, Mangwana was also not in good books with other Select Committee members from his party and often engaged in confrontations with them.
The sources further revealed that Chindori-Chininga had challenged Mangwana and asked him to explain why he had been misinforming the Zanu PF leadership over pre-drafting preparation work and drafting dates, as well as issues pertaining to pre-drafting methodology, the constitutional framework and identification of constitutional principles.
The sources said Mangwana allegedly also tried to smuggle a Zanu PF draft constitution into Copac, which was, unfortunately for him, intercepted by MDC-T members.
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Mangwana is believed to have suspected Chindori-Chininga had leaked the document to MDC-T, resulting in serious conflict between the two.
During the confrontation, Mangwana is said to have lost his temper, resulting in Chindori-Chininga challenging him to a fistfight if he continued to “disregard and harass” other Select Committee members.
Information picked by NewsDay shows Zanu PF Select Committee members blame Mangwana for delaying the constitution-making process, engaging in unnecessary disputes with other co-chairmen and misinforming the Zanu PF politburo meetings by giving dates and information that misled leadership.
However, contacted for comment yesterday, Mangwana professed ignorance over Chindori-Chininga’s dismissal and referred NewsDay to the Zanu PF leadership.
Yesterday Mwonzora said they had not yet received official communication from Zanu PF on the dismissal of Chindori-Chininga.
