THE reports that Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa was
poisoned through ice cream supplied by President Robert Mugabe’s Gushungo
Dairies have opened a can of worms in Masvingo province, where top Zanu PF
officials have accused Tourism minister Walter Mzembi of “falsely” implicating
them in a desperate bid to curry favour with the ageing Zanu PF leader.
Mzembi now stands accused of fronting a smear campaign
against Zanu PF leading figures in the politically volatile province and
setting them up against Mugabe.
This came as Zanu PF youths in Midlands province yesterday
insisted that Mnangagwa was poisoned, contrary to the party’s position that he
had reacted to stale food. Mnangagwa suffered severe diarrhoea and vomiting
before he was airlifted to South Africa after reportedly ingesting food laced
with poison at a youth interface rally addressed by Mugabe in Gwanda two weeks
ago.
supposedly “intelligence report” told Mugabe that the First
Family’s Gushungo Dairies had been fingered in the alleged Mnangagwa
assassination bid.
The report alleged there was a sinister agenda against
Gushungo Dairies being pushed by Mnangagwa’s top allies – Psychomotor
Activities minister Josaya Hungwe, Zanu PF deputy secretary for administration
July Moyo, Zanu PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke, Masvingo provincial chairman
Ezra Chadzamira, former Cabinet minister Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana and axed Zanu
PF secretary for youth affairs Pupurai Togarepi – as the chief culprits in the anti-Mugabe
campaign.
But Matuke and Mangwana yesterday accused Mzembi of
“playing to the gallery” as part of his plan to “re-integrate” himself into
Zanu PF after his failed international sojourn to land the United Nations World
Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) secretary-general post.
“Mzembi wants to get the President angry with the
leadership in Masvingo. He is setting us up by trying to impress the President
with pure fabrications. Mzembi attended Cde Mahofa’s funeral and actually
donated $500 towards expenses. I did not hear anyone talk about Gushungo
Holdings or ice cream. It’s a lie,” Matuke said.
“We are all fighting to unite our people and the province
ahead of the elections, but he has negative intentions purely because he had
abandoned his constituency in the last four years while concentrating on his
failed UNWTO bid. He should instead come and join us to work for the party. The
President should not listen to empty vessels.”
Mangwana threatened to sue Mzembi.
“If I find out that what is being said came from him, then
he is exposing himself to possible litigation because those are pure lies. It’s
opportunistic for anyone to try and set up the President against people who
continue to work hard for Zanu PF. Mzembi wants to create an impression in the
mind of the President that the leadership in Masvingo is working against him,”
Mangwana told NewsDay yesterday.
But, contacted for comment, Mzembi curtly said: “No
comment.”
For decades, Zanu PF Masvingo province has become a hot-bed
of factional fights and the bitter internal power struggle in the ruling party
has worsened the situation.
Matuke, Mangwana, Chadzamira and Hungwe are reportedly key
Mnangagwa allies, while Mzembi represents another faction known as G40 opposed
to the VP’s bid to succeed Mugabe.
Mzembi was reportedly behind Mugabe’s bid to quell tensions
last year with a meeting in Chiredzi and State House failing to resolve
differences.
“We know it’s all about the fight to take up the position
left by Mahofa. Mzembi either wants to influence President Mugabe’s decision on
who takes over or may as well be appointed himself,” NewsDay heard from another
leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Matuke said the issue around Zanu PF provincial commissar
Jeppy Jaboon “speaks to Jaboon’s relationship with the late Mahofa and the
youth league in the province”.
Yesterday, contrary to the party’s position that he ate
stale food, Zanu PF youths in Midlands province insisted that Mnangagwa was
poisoned.
Speaking during an inter-district meeting in Gweru
addressed by party youth secretary Kudzanai Chipanga, the ruling party youths
dismissed claims that their Midlands godfather fell ill after consuming stale
food.
The youths occasionally disrupted proceedings as they sang
and chanted slogans against party members allegedly bent on poisoning others.
National youth commissar Innocent Hamandishe had a torrid
time trying to persuade the youths to chant official party slogans, but the
youths remained defiant claiming Mnangagwa was poisoned by his G40 rivals.
Midlands youth chairperson Prosper Machando, provincial
vice-chair Godwin Shiri as well as some top officials aligned to Mnangagwa,
such as Gokwe-Kana MP Owen Ncube and provincial spokesperson Cornelius Mpereri,
also chanted the “down with poison” slogan much to the delight of the youths. A
top Mnangagwa ally, July Moyo, chose to be diplomatic and chanted “down with
unscrupulous people” although the youths had demanded the “poison” slogan.
The meeting was in preparation for Mugabe’s next youth
interface rally, whose date has not yet been announced. Newsday
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