Knives out for Jonathan Moyo
ZANU- PF Matabeleland North Province is working to censure Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo over allegations of, among others, working with under fire National Commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere in setting up parallel structures in the party to unseat President Mugabe.
Indications are that the province will also charge the Tsholotsho North MP for allegedly airing party issues on social media and working against Government programmes, particularly Command Agriculture.
Addressing a provincial coordinating committee meeting in Lupane yesterday, Zanu-PF Politburo member Dr Obert Mpofu indicated that a day would be set to deliberate on the charges against Prof Moyo, whom he did not name directly, according to our sister paper, Chronicle.
He was responding to a resolution by the province calling for the ouster of Cde Kasukuwere over a slew of allegations ranging from setting up parallel structures to depose the President to fanning factionalism and undermining the authority of First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe.
Earlier during deliberations over Cde Kasukuwere’s matter, a national youth executive member Cde Wellington Tagarira said they accepted the resolution, but wondered if there were characters from within the province working with the political commissar.
Dr Mpofu said there was no need to mix the two issues as a date would be set for the specific matter.
“We are not chaotic in Matabeleland North, even the matter we are
discussing today comes from elsewhere because we rejected it here because we are straight forward.
“There were many attempts made here to destabilise the province but failed. We thank you comrades for your discipline,” said Dr Mpofu.
“There are some with a problem because when you have a problem it doesn’t end, it’s like having spirit for witchcraft that when you sleep it haunts you. On behalf of Matabeleland North, we don’t have what is being said by our colleagues in other areas.”
Dr Mpofu added; “The President is the one centre of power. When he says Mpofu sit down, I must sit down, when he says Mpofu go and till the land, I go.
“But there are some here whom the President tells to sit down but they stand up, he tells them to go and farm and they ask what for? We hear about these things and some of them come from characters from Matabeleland North but we want to make it clear that they don’t speak on behalf of the province. If a person says the wrong things, say it’s Mpofu and not Mat North.
“There are many things the President said discouraging acting in a manner that destroys the party but some go against that. He introduced a programme that people would farm for the country (Command Agriculture) and some oppose it.”
Dr Mpofu said they had received a lot of inquiries on Prof Moyo’s actions.
“Many people are calling us asking that ‘what are you doing about this lad, we have dealt with this one’ that you wrote here (Cde Kasukuwere). ‘How about others?’ I think that is the thing the young man (Cde Tagarira) wanted to ask because he (Cde Kasukuwere) can’t be in this thing alone,” he said.
“That is why we said let us not mix issues. There will be a day for that where Matabeleland North will sit down and admonish us, if it’s Mpofu say Mpofu we don’t like what you are doing. If you see a person always in the middle of quarrels, you go to this group, he is there and that group he is there, he has a problem.”
Dr Mpofu said the province stands with President Mugabe in life and death and would not allow any machinations against him.
“Those people with a problem are the ones who want to see the President every day. Us who love him don’t want to go every day because we will end up lying to him. If you want to see the President every day, what will you be telling him because the chats will end and then you start telling lies about others,” said Dr Mpofu.
“There is an issue here in Matabeleland North and we will deal with it but we must do one thing at a time. Let’s deal with this (Cde Kasukuwere) matter first.”