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Defections shock ZimPF

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THE Joice Mujuru-led opposition Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) yesterday said it was shocked by the mass defection of its former founding members in Bulawayo, including Phenias Zilazila, to the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T.

THE Joice Mujuru-led opposition Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) yesterday said it was shocked by the mass defection of its former founding members in Bulawayo, including Phenias Zilazila, to the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T.

BY SILAS NKALA

Zilazila was one of the 45 former ZimPF and People’s Democratic Party members who were readmitted into the MDC-T on Saturday.

ZimPF Bulawayo provincial chairperson, Albert Mhlanga told Southern Eye yesterday that Zilazila was instrumental in drumming up support for Mujuru’s party before his surprise move to rejoin the MDC-T.

“We started campaigning for ZimPF with PZ [Zilazila] and I am the one, who at some point, gave him some forms to recruit members for the party in Njube. We cannot keep lying that he was not our member yet he is known to the province that he was,” Mhlanga said.

“I can confirm that PZ is one of the people who participated in the formation of ZimPF even before it was known. I am deeply concerned why he left so early. He did not give us reasons. We are engaged in investigations as to why he left the party.”

Mhlanga said he was not sure if those who rejoined MDC-T together with Zilazila were ZimPF members because there were too many members in Bulawayo some of them not yet known to the provincial leadership.

“Anyway, as we probe what happened, we must highlight that MDC-T is not our enemy, as we are going to unite at some point. I personally have respect for MDC-T and its leadership. I was going to be aggrieved if he had joined Zanu PF.”