THE Tendai Biti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) of poaching its members in the aftermath of its vice-president Samuel Sipepa Nkomo and a host of other party members in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North defecting.
by PAIDAMOYO MUZULU
Sipepa Nkomo resigned from the year-old political party that split from the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T through a letter he wrote to the national executive.
PDP spokesman, Jacob Mafume confirmed Nkomo’s resignation, saying the party was not amused by the defection.
“It’s true that he left. He wrote a letter in which he was complaining about resources for campaigning,” Mafume said. The defections come at a time PDP is in coalition negotiations with the ZimPF, as the opposition takes positions to fight Zanu PF in the 2018 general elections.
Mafume said the defections were induced by the promise of positions.
“We understand that Sipepa Nkomo was promised the vice-presidency by ZimPF before he defected. It was treachery on his part, as he was also PDP’s chief negotiator in the coalition talks,” he said.
The PDP spokesman further said the resignations were a self-cleansing process that any organisation goes through.
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“Trees shed leaves when a new summer comes. Zimbabwe has been recycling politicians for too long out of politeness and common decency. This has to come to an end and we now need new faces,” Mafume said.
However, ZimPF denied the allegation it had poached Sipepa Nkomo and the other former PDP executives.
ZimPF spokesman, Jealousy Mawarire said people were joining the party on their own volition.
“No one is offered any position in ZimPF. People will be elected into positions. The mere fact that we will hold an elective convention means every party position is up for grabs, including that of the vice-president,” he said.
“They should introspect why people are leaving them. We don’t poach people from anywhere. People join because they are attracted to us.”
