PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s former advisor Chris
Mutsvangwa has accused Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga of being behind
plots to oust him as war veterans leader, claiming it was a fight-back against
his outburst against alleged state capture.
Mutsvangwa caused a stir last month after claiming that
business tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei was causing divisions in the presidium through
manoeuvres to control Zimbabwe’s highly lucrative fuel industry.
Tagwirei is said to be close to both Mnangagwa and
Chiwenga, but has business ties with the VP.
After Mutsvangwa’s outbursts, war veterans from Mashonaland
West and East said they had resolved to recall him from the leadership of the
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA).
However, Mutsvangwa told The Standard on Friday that the
plot against him was being spearheaded by Defence and War Veterans deputy
minister Victor Matemadanda.
He said Chiwenga’s backers were trying to use Matemadanda
to destabilise the war veterans after he attacked Tagwirei.
“They said they want to anoint him as the leader of war
veterans because he is the only war veteran in a leadership position who won a
parliamentary seat in the July 30 general elections, all others fell by the
wayside.
“(Matemadanda) has been trying to change the leadership,
but he is meeting a lot of resistance from everybody.
“Except Mashonaland West, other provinces are saying this
is nonsense.”
Mutsvangwa said Matemadanda tried to use ZNLWVA deputy
chairperson Headmen Moyo to push the agenda against him.
“We exposed the cartel and it doesn’t have political cover
at the moment. They are desperate for political protection and this has been
worsened by the fact that President Mnangagwa won the elections in July,” he
said.
“They are not happy. To continue with that cartel you need
to have Number 1 supporting it, but he is not.
“They are accusing me of exposing them and they are saying
since the war veterans showed power in November (2017), if we control them we
will be able to get another political umbrella.”
Moyo said he was not aware that Matemadanda was fighting
Mutsvangwa.
Moyo said the association would conduct a meeting mid this
week to deal with the matter, but said it was not possible that Mutsvangwa
could be removed by two provinces.
“We will be having a meeting by mid next week. Mutsvangwa
cannot be expelled by two provinces. The national executive is going to sit and
make a decision,” he said.
Mutsvangwa claimed that there used to be bad blood between
Matemadanda and Chiwenga, alleging that the VP used to regard the deputy
minister as “povo”. He said the two had since closed ranks to fight him.
A number of war veterans have leapt to Mutsvangwa’s defence
with prominent Mashonaland West war veteran Runesu Geza, popularly known as
Bombshell, claiming that some war veterans were being used by powerful people
to fight their leader.
“Most of them are being used and we are realising that most
of them are not war veterans. We need re-vetting. Others are now ministers, but
their liberation history is not known,” he said in apparent reference to
Matemadanda.
He said Mutsvangwa was fighting on behalf of war veterans
and would not be toppled.
“We want to see who is influencing these war veterans to
the extent of fighting their chairman and even holding hostage a politburo
member (Obert Mpofu).
We can’t have war vets going even to the party to harass a
politburo member. We want to know who is using them,” he said.
“If Mutsvangwa has issues with other people, war veterans
should stand aside and allow him to fight his wars, not to come in on the side
of his opponents.
“Colluding to fight a man who was sick — that is bad. We
still have G40 members, and we want to know their mandate in fighting
Mutsvangwa.
“They want to make themselves heroes because they were
given cars, he is not going anywhere.
“We will stand with Mutsvangwa and are willing to defend
him to the end. We can’t have war veterans as political mercenaries to fight
their own boss.”
Meanwhile, Matemadanda, who is also the ZNLWVA
secretary-general, said the claims that he was being used by Chiwenga to topple
Mutsvangwa were false.
“Those who are talking about money they don’t know how much
I was offered when I was fighting (former president Robert) Mugabe and I don’t
know how much they say I got from Tagwirei,”
he said in an interview.
“I have absolutely nothing against Christopher Mutsvangwa,
but the people making the accusations want to use me because I refused to get
into this thing.
“In any case, we are going for elections next year and I
don’t intend to stand as chairman. I am content with being secretary-general.
“In fact, being secretary-general is more powerful than
being chairman. These allegations are madness.”
Matemadanda said during the Mugabe era he was persecuted
for supporting Mutsvangwa.
He said he was surprised when Mutsvangwa’s wife Monica
accused him of trying to topple her husband.
“I have always defended Mutsvangwa, but I was surprised one
day when his wife accused me of trying to usurp the chairmanship from
Mutsvangwa as if there is a seat specially reserved for a specific person to be
the chairman,” Matemadanda charged.
“I cannot fight Mutsvangwa today when I was fired by Mugabe
for defending Mutsvangwa.
“That person saying those things is very stupid.”
The friction between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga became public
last month after Zanu PF youths declared that the president would not be
challenged as the party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
The declaration allegedly angered Chiwenga’s backers who
feel that the VP is being sidelined after playing a leading role in the coup
that toppled Mugabe in November last year. Standard
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