THE Zanu PF Mashonaland West women’s league provincial executive committee is pushing for the censure of First Lady Grace Mugabe’s top ally and Hurungwe East MP, Sarah Mahoka, on allegations of disrespecting Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as well as embezzling funds, as Zanu PF factional fights fail to subside ahead of the party’s annual conference set for Masvingo next month.
BY NUNURAI JENA/JAMES MUONWA/BLESSED MHLANGA
Mahoka, who early this year labelled Mnangagwa a “duck”, is also accused of embezzling over $100 000, some of it donated by Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader, Walter Magaya.
Mashonaland West women’s league chairperson, Angeline Muchemeyi, told journalists soon after a provincial executive meeting held at the party’s provincial head offices in Chinhoyi on Wednesday that Mahoka’s days were numbered.
“Mahoka is facing serious charges of undermining the authority and the person of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa,” Muchemeyi said.
“She is also behind the disappearance of several thousands of dollars meant for the First Lady’s countrywide rallies held last year.
“Therefore, as provincial leaders, we cannot censure a national member in the mould of Mahoka, hence, the recommendation to the national executive to take punitive measures against her.”
Part of the siphoned money was reportedly donated last year.
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Mahoka, who claims to have dropped out of school in Grade Two, is linked to the G40 faction, which is reportedly pushing for Grace to succeed her 92-year-old husband, President Robert Mugabe.
The abrasive Mahoka, who is also the Zanu PF women’s league’s secretary for finance, is accused of verbally attacking Mnangagwa in February this year at the Zanu PF headquarters before a politburo meeting.
Sources, who attended Wednesday’s closed-door meeting said Mahoka was also facing accusations of “stooping low” by interfering in provincial matters and exhibiting dictatorial tendencies.
A petition signed by over 30 Zanu PF activists calling for Mahoka’s expulsion was reportedly handed over to Muchemeyi for onward transmission to relevant authorities.
Sources told NewsDay the latest move to have Mahoka jettisoned from the party were likely to succeed, as she has reportedly fallen out with Grace, who was widely believed to have thwarted earlier attempts to have the lawmaker censured.
Mahoka yesterday said she was in Parliament and had not responded to questions sent to her on instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, at the time of going to print.
Meanwhile, gloves are off ahead of the Zanu PF conference following a Mashonaland Central province resolution seeking to have the posts of VPs put to elections instead of being directly appointed by Mugabe. Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan took to micro-blogging site, Twitter, to defend the Mashonaland Central resolution.
Moyo, a perceived G40 member, said the Zanu PF constitutional amendments of 2014, which allowed Mugabe to appoint his deputies, were a reaction to threats posed by former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and were, therefore, a mistake.
He said the amendments, which gave Mugabe far-reaching powers, had instead led those appointed by him into believing they had been anointed to succeed him.
“Amending [the] constitution in 2014 because of [the] Mujuru cabal was a mistake. Case for female VP and elected VPs is strong! The case for electing VPs is compelling given that successionists have taken a VP appointment as an anointment,” Moyo tweeted. But former Zanu PF central committee member and Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda, said the move was targeting Mnangagwa ahead of the party conference, with G40 thinking it had a candidate, who could beat him in elections.
“They think they have a candidate who can beat Mnangagwa, but if it does sail through, they will be shocked that it will be (VP Phelekezela) Mphoko who won’t have any votes,” he said.
Mnangagwa’s close allies told NewsDay that the G40 tactic was to put Mnangagwa through an election knowing they had purged most of his supporters and assuming that those left in the party were their supporters.
“It is clear that the resolution is aimed at one person only because they think they pruned all Mnangagwa supporters from the party. They also think they will win by using the element of fear, where party members, fearing expulsion, will vote against Mnangagwa, but that’s just foolish,” the source, who said he belongs to Team Lacoste, a faction reportedly loyal to Mnangagwa, said.
