President Emmerson Mnangagwa was caught by surprise when
the Zanu PF youth league released a list of alleged corrupt senior officials, a
senior official has claimed amid reports those implicated believe he is behind
the suspected witch-hunt.
Zanu PF youth leader Pupurai Togarepi leapt to Mnangagwa’s
defence as reports emerged that the list released a fortnight ago has divided
the ruling party.
Those implicated, insiders said, believe a lawyer (name
withheld) and one of the president’s sons were behind the list.
“First of all, the youth league is an organ of the party,
Zanu PF, and does not take instructions from any other person outside the
revolutionary party. So to suggest that we take instructions from anyone is not
only laughable, but misguided,” Togarepi told The Standard.
“The Zanu PF youth league is a product of the second
republic, we are children of the revolution and we adhere forever, faithfully
to the founding values of the party.
“We are cut from a different cloth, and do not pander to
the whims or caprices of anyone, so that you know, the president was also
caught by surprise and that is why he strongly admonished us.”
Mnangagwa promised to set up a commission of inquiry to
investigate the allegations raised by the youths, but was reportedly unhappy
that they went public with the list.
Some of the officials named in the list have threatened the
youths with lawsuits and promised to fight back.
Former Home Affairs minister Obert Mpofu was one of the
top-ranking Zanu PF officials targeted by the youths.
Others were Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya
and former football administrator Henrieta Rushwaya. Mangudya is already suing
the youth league
officials behind the list.
Togarepi said those claiming that Mnangagwa’s son was behind
the list were driven by malice.
“The mention of Emmerson Jnr is obviously driven by malice.
We also knew that some would fight back with unprecedented venom,” he said.
“The million dollar question is: Why now? Those who say the
youths tried to extort them must also provide admissible evidence. This is the ED era and a whole new world compared to the
Mugabe era.”
He said the youths were ready to cooperate with the
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission after its chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo
asked them to provide the
anti-graft body with evidence of the alleged corruption.
“Of course, we are ready to cooperate with the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission for we are staunch disciples of the rule of law and
its due processes,”
Togarepi said.
One of the Zanu PF officials named in the list, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said the allegations of corruption were being made by a
clique close to
Mnangagwa.
“This lawyer is now acting like a prime minister, he is
calling the shots,” said the official. “He is one of the people behind that list.”
There were allegations that Mnangagwa’s son met the Zanu PF
youths before the press conference where they released the list.
“We are back to the old Mugabe days and ED is using the
same script,” the source said.
“The youth league would make allegations and then the
women’s league will join in followed by war veterans.
“Once this is done, your days would be numbered. But as
they say, once bitten twice shy, I don’t see this working again.”
The source said some of the targeted officials were being
accused of plotting against Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, who is spearheading
the government’s economic reforms. Standard
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