FORMER Vice-President and leader of the new political outfit known as Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) Joice Mujuru says she is ready for the country’s rugged political terrain.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Mujuru, who was purged from Zanu PF in 2014 on allegations of trying to topple President Robert Mugabe, told Voice of America’s Studio 7 that the internal turmoil bedevilling her former party did not surprise her.
Her official re-entry into the country’s political minefield signals the beginning of what could be an interesting run-in to the 2018 elections at a time when Mugabe’s Zanu PF is literally at war with itself.
Joice Mujuru
“For a year, I have not given any interview because I knew that the things that happened to me were meant to get rid of someone they knew had something different from what they had. It was a marriage of convenience,” she said.
“It (her removal) was not meant for the good of Zanu PF. I am not surprised because I knew they were all lies and they were not telling the truth among themselves. I knew it would not take long before the world knew the truth and now the world has seen it all.”
Mujuru’s arch-nemesis and successor Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has since become the target of similar allegations of trying to topple Mugabe.
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Mnangagwa is now under fire again from First Lady Grace Mugabe, who accuses the veteran liberation war hero of stitching up a plan with assistance from sections of the military to “kill” her youngest son, Chatunga Bellarmine, as well as bomb her business empire in Mazowe.
But Mujuru described her tormentors as “thugs and liars”.
“Since I left the party, I decided to just move on. I did not want to involve or entangle myself with the goings-on in Zanu PF. I knew they were a group of thugs, power-hungry people, a group of liars who can just fabricate things and I am not such a character,” she said.
Mujuru also confirmed her group had notified the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of the existence of ZPF, likely with a view to taking part in future polls.
“I registered on Friday (last week) and this is due to overwhelming demand from the people. We should have registered mid-last year.
“I did not want to rush into it without satisfying myself that we had done the best recruitment, that we had reached all areas from Mukumbura to Beitbridge, from the border with Botswana to the border with Mozambique and I think we have done that.”
