ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa has distanced his party from the newly-formed Friends of Zapu Trust (FoZapu), saying the organisation is duplicating roles played by the Zipra Veterans’ Trust and the Mafela Trust.
Report by Blondie Ndebele
In a statement yesterday, Dabengwa said FoZapu was a political party disguised as a Zapu trust to gain public sympathy.
“Parallel party machinery purporting to be ‘friends’ of Zapu goes as far as to imply that members of Zapu are subsumed in the organisation, yet it arrogates itself a broader mandate of ‘engaging various organisations including political players’ as part of its objectives,” he said referring to FoZapu.
“Any organisation wishing to be a friend of Zapu would only be considered a friend of Zapu by way of affiliation (Article 6:1,3 of the Zapu constitution) or by a signed memorandum of understanding.”
Speaking at the launch of the organisation last week, FoZapu leader Retired Colonel Ray Ncube said his organisation was seeking to “provide moral and non-lethal material support for Zapu”, among its objectives.
Ironically, Ncube was expelled as Zapu Bulawayo provincial chairman last year over allegations of leading parallel structures and causing divisions within the party.
Dabengwa said his party was worried about the way the name FoZapu was approved by the Deeds Office despite having the same objectives as those of the other groups.
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“Using the name of Zapu in this manner is not only contemptuous of our history and integrity, but a dishonest ride on the revival of the party after many years of being buried alive in the Unity Accord into which (late Vice-President) Dr Joshua Nkomo was forced to lead the party in 1987,” the former Home Affairs minister added.
