In 2014 Zanu PF politburo member Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri
relinquished her position as the ruling party’s secretary for women’s affairs
to make way for former first lady, Grace Mugabe under controversial
circumstances.
Grace used her newly-found position in the women’s league
to aggressively position herself as her husband’s possible successor.
Muchinguri-Kashiri became one of the ruling party officials
targeted in the latest Zanu PF purges before the army seized control of
government and forced former president Robert Mugabe out last week.
The former Climate and Water minister was among those who
were facing an uncertain future for allegedly being members of a faction linked
to new party leader President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Muchinguri-Kashiri (OMK) on Friday spoke to Standard reporter Blessed Mhlanga (BM)about her relationship with the former first lady.
The Manicaland political heavyweight said she was forced to
make way for Grace and revealed the extent of deepening divisions in the ruling
party.
BM: How do you feel after witnessing the inauguration of
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mugabe’s exit?
OMK: It’s sad that we have had the former president
[Robert] Mugabe for the past 37 years [go like this].
I think he created a foundation [that is] now enabling us
to move forward.
We have had all sorts of experiences and we feel that the
country is mature enough.
We have endured problems, we have also met some successes
in other areas but in the past seven years we had reached a certain stage.
We are saying we want to usher in a new era. We have learnt
from our mistakes.
I am sure you appreciate that in the last two years all we
have been doing was fighting with each other and where there is no peace and unity,
there can never be development.
BM: You say in the past you have made mistakes. which
mistakes can you single out that the outgoing government made?
OMK: We concentrated too much on building schools and
infrastructure, which was good.
We also concentrated on educating our nation, but in terms
of ZimAsset, we needed now to invest much more into the productive sector.
I am sure from our budget, you appreciate that 70% of our
revenues were going into paying workers, not into the productive sector.
So we are saying more resources should be invested in
developmental issues so that we create jobs for our own people.
I am also saying we have trained doctors, but if you look
at our hospitals, they are in a deplorable state.
People are going to India, our doctors are operating in
other countries.
We are saying that’s an opportunity, let’s invest in our
health sector so that we don’t have to go out of the country, that is capital
flight.
Our much-needed foreign currency is going out of the
country while we should be developing our health sector. We need to focus on
the economy.
BM: Some would blame you for the two years of Zanu PF
infighting because it was you who stepped down from your post as the women’s
league boss to pave way for Grace Mugabe.
OMK: It’s unfair to say I handed it over. I was pushed to
surrender that position.
Grudgingly, I surrendered that position because some women
approached me to say I should give it up for the first lady.
I don’t know what benefits they were looking for, so I had
to do so reluctantly.
BM: You have been targeted in the few years as a member of
Lacoste and you were being pushed out. We saw your ministry being whittled as
you lost power. How did you feel at that time?
OMK: It was very sad, very painful. But you can appreciate
that I handled that situation with dignity and so much maturity because I
realised that it was not the right time.
You can imagine being harassed in public by my own junior
officers.
I was not allowed to exercise my responsibilities
sometimes, but I am glad that people were watching all this, which resulted in
them taking responsibility for the changes that have taken place.
BM: Do you feel sorry for the manner in which Mugabe was
removed from power? Do you think Grace destroyed Mugabe’s legacy?
OMK: It is really unfortunate that President Mugabe who has
invested all his life into developing this country [went that way].
We really have a lot of respect I must say, for our former
president. Those people who invited Grace into politics should take full
responsibility for bringing her.
I remember in the past she had committed herself to just
going to church. These people did not take heed of that cry.
I am sure she evaluated herself and realised that she was
not good for politics but people pushed her. Those people really should be
blamed.
BM: Would you name these faceless people who you continue
to refer to as responsible for Grace’s rise?
OMK: At this juncture it’s not necessary. What we want is
to unite the people, but every person should have some introspection to say
where did I go wrong in all this, because we all contributed in one way or
another, all of us.
Some were involved in illegal activities of externalising
foreign currency.
So we need to address all these things from an individual
point of view.
BM: The new first lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa is a Zanu PF
central committee member and MP for Chirumanzu-Zibagwe. What advice would you
give her at this point?
OMK: I think she is a very mature and seasoned politician
with so much on her plate. I don’t think that she would want to remain an MP.
That was a very necessary base, she needed to appreciate
what happens in Parliament to understand the role of Parliament as a first
lady.
I hope she learnt a lot when she was involved in all this
because I am told she was a member of the Pan-African Parliament and the
debates that took place at that forum will be very key for her now that she is
the first lady. That should help her to advise her husband adequately and also
in a manner which is informed.
BM: What role are you going to play in this new government?
Are you looking forward to playing any key role?
OMK: Well, it’s up to the new president really to identify
areas where I could be of help or of assistance to him.
I have been in government for a long time. I have served in
many capacities. I have been an MP. I have held quite high positions in the
party. So I am saying if I remain in my position, I am comfortable with it as I
have always been.
You will remember when we really pushed hard to have a
woman vice-president, I was at the forefront campaigning, but I did not
consider myself as a candidate as was the situation and case with the former
first lady.
She herself was doing everything changing structures just
to fit her personal interests.
In my case, I paved way for Amai [Joice] Mujuru whom I
respected because she was senior to me.
So I am saying I am not a person who is greedy, who at
every juncture wants a position, no. I will wait until the president decides
what he wants to do with me.
BM: Your name has been mentioned among potential vice
presidents, will you accept such an appointment?
OMK: I cannot comment on that. That’s a rumour, that’s
speculation, so I don’t go with rumours. Standard
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