Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s angry threats against a chief from Masvingo, who warned that President Emmerson Mnangagwa risked losing the 2023 elections, has drawn further ire e from the traditional leader.
Chief Murinye angered the authorities when he accused
Mnangagwa and his top executive of entertaining corruption.
The chief was addressing mourners at the funeral of Public
Service Commission official Elson Gonye.
Mnangagwa summoned chiefs to the capital in Harare on
Friday where his deputy Constantino Chiwenga read the riot act and warned that
criticising the President in public was unacceptable and would not be
tolerated.
He said Murinye, born Ephias Munodawafa, would be
investigated.
But Murinye in an interview with The Standard yesterday
stood his ground and human rights’
lawyers accused the presidency of violating the constitution by threatening
traditional leaders.
“I am a chief in accordance with the tradition and my
clan,” Murinye said.
“I am satisfied that what I said was not out of malice. It
was because of my love for my party (Zanu-PF) and my president.
“I don’t have questionable allegiance. The problem is in
every system when you step on other people’s toes — who think you are
disrupting their bread and butter means, they make that noise.
“I am not afraid of being investigated. I don’t have a
problem with that. At the moment, that is what I will say.”
Last night the chief confirmed it was him speaking in an
audio recording where he says he dares the politicians to kill him for saying
out his mind. He accuses government officials of seeking to kill him for
lashing out at Mnangagwa.
Before Chiwenga’s threats, Murinye had told The Standard that he was receiving
threatening messages and calls from anonymous people, a known tactic used
against government critics.
“I have plans to engage Mnangagwa on the issue I raised
recently,” he said.
“The issues of corruption have to be addressed.
“Mnangagwa has the chance to remove the criminals
surrounding him by reshuffling the Cabinet.
“The people whom he is sending on the ground are the ones,
who are misleading him.
“We love our president and he is doing wonders, but the
problem is the criminals around him.”
In audio clips that have gone viral on social media,
Murinye threatens to expose corrupt Zanu PF members to Mnangagwa.
“If the president asks me about it, I will expose you,” he
said.
“In South Africa they go nine kilometres underground
looking for diamonds, but here in Zimbabwe we literally pick our diamonds from
the surface.
“What are we doing with the proceeds of the diamonds?
“If I inquire then you call me an MDC member. Kill me if
you want, I don’t care.
“Even if I am dethroned, I will stand for justice.”
Rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama said Chiwenga had no
constitutional rights to preside over chiefs.
Zanu PF has over a very long time used traditional leaders
to advance their interests, so if they (chiefs) then speak against the ruling
party the leaders are riled,” Muchadehama said.
“Chiefs are prohibited by the constitution to support
political parties.
“Government should not forget that just like any other
citizens, chiefs are entitled to enjoy rights that are enshrined in the
constitution.
“Government could have made use of the chiefs’ council or
the chiefs’ ethics and integrity committee to take action against the chief.”
Political analyst Fidelis Duri said Chiwenga’s utterances
showed that the ruling party wanted to control chiefs in violation of the
constitution.
“Traditional leaders have always been the number one enemy
to the ruling party since independence, but the leaders have pampered them with
material things to buy their allegiance,” Duri said.
Chapter 15.2 of the constitution states that “traditional
leaders must not be members of any political party or in any way participate in
partisan politics, act in a partisan manner, further the interests of any
political party or cause or violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of any
person”.
Duri added: “That is why if the leaders act contrary to the
expectations, the government goes after them.
“It is not new. We have seen Chief Ndiweni who was deposed
after criticising the president.”
In December 2019, government dethroned outspoken Chief
Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni of Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland North.
The Ndiweni clan protested his removal saying the
government was interfering in the running of their chieftainship.
Chapter 283 of the constitution of Zimbabwe stipulates that
the appointment, removal and suspension of chiefs must be done by the president
on the recommendation of the provincial assembly of chiefs through the National
Council of Chiefs and the minister responsible for traditional leaders and in
accordance with the traditional practices and traditions of the communities
concerned. Standard
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