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NewsDay

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Gumbo slams Mutezo assault

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FORMER Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo has lashed out at the “overzealous” mob that publicly humiliated and assaulted former Energy deputy minister Munacho Mutezo during Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.

FORMER Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo has lashed out at the “overzealous” mob that publicly humiliated and assaulted former Energy deputy minister Munacho Mutezo during Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.

BY OBEY MANAYITI

Mutezo was assaulted on Saturday in Nyanyadzi after he had stood up to give a solidarity message during the celebrations when a group of Zanu PF supporters including a war veteran identified as Brown Gwinya heckled him and subsequently assaulted him.

Although police in Mutare have said they had no idea of what happened on the day in question, some Zanu PF members were already divided over the matter with some being sympathetic with Mutezo while others were saying he should be recalled from the party.

In an interview, with NewsDay yesterday, Gumbo, who was also fired from the party over links to ousted Vice-President Joice Mujuru, said the incident showed the highest level of indiscipline.

“We are clear that anyone who does that kind of thing is not a true war veteran. True war veterans are disciplined and a genuine war veteran who was in the struggle will not attack anyone, not Mutezo alone, but a fellow citizen,” Gumbo said.

“Our war veterans are trained to respect people and to protect them and they should know that you don’t unleash violence on a comrade. We don’t expect this from well-trained comrades, well-groomed comrades. This just reflects the indiscipline that has infiltrated the party.”

Gumbo added that instead of unleashing violence, Zanu PF should work on rebuilding the free-falling economy and avoid unnecessary provocation similar to that in neighbouring South Africa where people were being attacked and killed in the ongoing xenophobic violence.

According to Zanu PF sources in Nyanyadzi, people perceived to be aligned to Mutezo were living in fear as police had not arrested the culprits.