×
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.

Chimene defies court order

News
A FACTION of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene has scaled up its campaign for an elective congress to choose a new leadership to replace the Christopher Mutsvangwa-led executive.

A FACTION of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene has scaled up its campaign for an elective congress to choose a new leadership to replace the Christopher Mutsvangwa-led executive.

By Tatenda Chitagu

Mandiitawepi Chimene
Mandiitawepi Chimene

This follows last month’s messy fallout between the Mutsvangwa-led ZNLWVA executive and President Robert Mugabe after the former allegedly authored a damning communiqué denouncing the Zanu PF leader as a dictator.

The former freedom fighters also announced that they would not campaign for Mugabe in the 2018 elections, accusing him of neglecting them and adopting genocidal and dictatorial tendencies.

Although the High Court has interdicted the Chimene group from masquerading as ZNLWVA leaders, the faction’s interim national vice-chairperson George Mlala in defiance has set up interim structures in Matabeleland North and South provinces, Midlands and Manicaland.

Mutsvangwa’s team has described the group’s actions as illegal.

But Chimene’s faction at the weekend went ahead and elected an interim executive for Masvingo province. The executive comprises of chairperson Rueben Chikono, Chiredzi East legislator Denford Masiya (deputy chair), Kudakwashe Dzoro (secretary-general) and Admore Hwarare (political commissar).

The interim committee replaces the Tendeukai Chinooneka’s executive.

Mlala said their mission was to elect structures that were loyal to Zanu PF and Mugabe after Mutsvangwa, war veterans spokesperson Douglas Mahiya, commissar Francis Nhando and secretary-general Victor Matemadanda were expelled from the party for alleged disobedience.

“This is your new executive from today onwards. You report to them. We want to build a war veterans’ structure that is glued to the party. The interim executive should re-unite the war veterans with the party.

“As war veterans, we are powerless without the people. War veterans are the vanguard of the party, but they do not carry the party, the party carries you. You cannot turn the party, the party turns you and shows you direction. You then go its way, not the other way round. You can never be bigger than Zanu PF,” Mlala said.

“There are many people like (the late James) Chikerema who thought they had formed Zanu PF and they believed they would stop the party, yet Zanu PF moved on and left them aside. How can you stop Zanu PF? You cannot.”