×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

‘Muchinguri a sell-out’

News
Zanu PF acting Manicaland chairperson Samuel Undenge has fired a salvo at politburo member Oppah Muchinguri describing her as “power hungry and a sell-out”.

Zanu PF acting Manicaland chairperson Samuel Undenge has fired a salvo at politburo member Oppah Muchinguri describing her as “power hungry and a sell-out”.

BY OBEY MANAYITI/KENNETH NYANGANI

Muchinguri is alleged to be ring-leader of a clique seeking to oust Undenge as Zanu PF infighting takes centre stage in Manicaland Province.

Undenge rubbished allegations that he was ousted as chairperson saying the majority of people who signed a petition against him were not even members of the provincial executive.

He said problems in Manicaland started after an audio tape where Muchinguri was allegedly recorded together with some youth executive members plotting the political downfall of other Zanu PF leaders in the province was leaked.

Those mentioned in the recording include Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene and deputy secretary for youth affairs Kudzai Chipanga.

Undenge said the “coup plotters” wanted to eventually replace him with central committee member and former chairperson Mike Madiro. This was after a vote of no confidence was passed against him at a meeting in Mutare on Tuesday.

“The meeting was not called by the chair,” he said.

“Those people who participated are not even in provincial structures, for example Albert Nyakuedzwa, who was moving around forcing people to sign the petition.

“However, members of the executive disowned that. Nyakuedzwa has been bribed and promised the post of political commissar by this renegade group as revealed in that famous tape.”

He said Zanu PF commissar Saviour Kasukuwere had blocked his ouster.

“The national commissar said I am still the chair,” Undenge said.

“What is happening is that these people want to create a factional power base like what Didymus Mutasa was doing. They, however, failed and thus they ended up hiring people in trying to remove me through clandestine meetings which had no quorums.”

Before his expulsion from Zanu PF, Mutasa was regarded as Manicaland political godfather and soon after his ouster, Muchinguri was anointed the political “godmother”.

However, several Zanu PF members have been complaining about her conduct alleging that she was doing exactly what Mutasa did.

Undenge said effforts to push him out could only be done by power-hungry officials who did not even understand the party constitution.

“That is another form of Gamatox which we need to fight. We have caught the people who want to do a coup, but Zanu PF doesn’t operate that way. Zanu PF doesn’t hold a clandestine meeting like the other one where Cde Muchinguri was recorded therefore that is null and void and irrelevant.

“If you go outside the party constitution to do illegal meetings, then that is part of selling out.”

Zanu PF provincial secretary for administration Kenneth Saruchera weighed in saying the alleged meeting that passed the vote of no confidence was defective.

“We are not recognising the meeting (which passed the vote of no confidence) because it was done outside formal party structures,” he said.

“It was done in a clandestine manner and we cannot recognise it, perhaps it was a family meeting or private meeting. We are still operating normally and our structures still stand.”

Saruchera said he was supposed to give a notice to convene the meeting and without his involvement, the decisions would not be binding.

Bishop Oliver Maponga said he was surprised by the announcement that he was now the acting provincial chairperson but promised to execute his new duties diligently.

“I was surprised too and I was only told that I will be acting chair 15 minutes before the Press conference. However, I cannot refuse the new mandate because they saw that I am a bishop and the situation needs prayers,” Maponga said.

“We are going to work very hard in the province for unity of purpose and we are already working on the birthday of First Lady Grace Mugabe that is coming soon. And we are also going to work on the restructuring in the province.”

At the Tuesday night Press conference, which lasted three minutes, journalists were not given a chance to verify the signatures.

There was also no time for questions amid allegations that only six bonafide members signed the petition. Repeated attempts to contact Muchinguri and Nyakuedzwa for comment yesterday were fruitless.