×
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.

Mujuru goes solo

News
FORMER Vice-President Joice Mujuru and members of her family have organised their own private event at the National Heroes’ Acre tomorrow to honour her late husband former army commander Retired General Solomon Mujuru.

FORMER Vice-President Joice Mujuru and members of her family have organised their own private event at the National Heroes’ Acre tomorrow to honour her late husband former army commander Retired General Solomon Mujuru after she stayed away from official Heroes’ Day commemorations on Monday.

BY MOSES MATENGA

width="600"
Dr Mai Joice Mujuru is her direct opposite: who is cool, calm, reserved, tolerant, objective and intelligently calculative of what is good or bad for Zimbabwe.

A family member who declined to be named said after laying wreaths at the grave, the family will hold a private ceremony at Mujuru’s home to mark the fourth anniversary after his death in a mysterious fire at his Beatrice Farm.

“We are going on Friday to the National Heroes’ Acre,” the family member said, adding the event was meant to honour the former army chief who died on August 15, 2011.

“We will be laying flowers on his grave, and it will be followed by commemorations of the fourth anniversary of his death at home.

“I don’t know whether she (Joice Mujuru) will go because of other issues that may arise, particularly after how she was treated, but as a family, we should go there and later gather at the farm where he died, then have lunch there.”

The former VP boycotted the main Heroes’ Day celebrations on Monday possibly for security reasons and to avoid humiliation from Zanu PF youths and State security agents.

Her alleged ally, Chegutu East MP Webster Shamu, was publicly humiliated after he and his wife were ejected from the VIP seats reserved for Cabinet members when he braved the threats and attended the Monday celebrations.

Following Mujuru’s death, his wife Joice, who had served as President Robert Mugabe’s deputy for 10 years, was unceremoniously stripped of her government and party posts last December on charges of plotting to unconstitutionally unseat the Zanu PF leader.

The late army general was believed to have influenced Mugabe to appoint Joice as his deputy before her ouster following a vicious campaign last year led by First Lady Grace Mugabe.

Mugabe also accused Mujuru of witchcraft, corruption and plotting to assassinate him in cahoots with several former Zanu PF stalwarts, among them former secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa, ex-Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo and former politburo member Nicholas Goche.

Gumbo yesterday said as people who worked with Mujuru, they were going to support the family event.

“I will have the exact position on what we will do tomorrow (today),” Gumbo said.

Since her expulsion, Mujuru has avoided public appearances, but issued statements refuting the alleged plot.

She has been widely linked to the People First project fronted by Gumbo and Mutasa and has made indications that she will contest the 2018 presidential elections against Mugabe.