Msika Backs Dabengwa Over Zapu Revival
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 27 September 2008 20:09 Vice-President Joseph Msika has once
again publicly backed former Home Affairs minister Dumiso Dabengwa who
is leading calls to revive PF Zapu and abandon the 1987 Unity Accord.
Dabengwa rebelled against President Robert Mugabe ahead of the March
presidential elections to sup****t former politburo member, Dr Simba
Makoni. The ruling party's secretary for administration, Didymus
Mutasa, is on record as saying the veteran politician had expelled
himself from the party.
But Msika told members of the Zanu PF district co-ordinating committee
that Dabengwa was an authentic PF Zapu cadre and should not be vilified
for his decision to abandon the ruling party.
The meeting held at the Zanu PF headquarters at Davies' Hall last
Thursday was organised to brief party members on the deal between Zanu
PF and the two MDC formations on establi****ng an all-inclusive
government.
"The Vice-President queried why Dabengwa was not being invited to such
meetings," said a senior ruling party official. "He said party members
from the region should not join those who were vilifying him for
campaigning for Makoni because other Zanu PF leaders who have rebelled
in the past such as Edgar Tekere did not receive the same treatment."
In March Msika took issue with Matabeleland politicians such as
Bulawayo governor, Cain Mathema and Industry and International Trade
Minister, Obert Mpofu, who labelled the former Zipra forces commander a
sell out for abandoning Mugabe.
After Mugabe's bloody re-election campaign in June, Msika warned his
colleagues that PF Zapu was still alive.
There are re****ts of growing discontent in Zanu PF structures in
Matabeleland following the signing of the agreement between the ruling
party and the MDC formations as senior officials believe they are being
marginalised.
Mugabe has to drop a significant number of Zanu PF leaders from
government in line with the new configuration, which limits the number
of direct appointees to parliament.
"In the end, Msika did not talk about how this region stands to benefit
from the deal with the MDC," said the official. "Perhaps he is also
aware that there is nothing for us in the deal and the revival of PF
Zapu is the most logical thing to do."
Msika, who represents PF Zapu in Zanu PF, retains his largely
ceremonial post of second vice-president but remains the only
representative in the presidium after John Nkomo failed to hold on to
the post of Speaker of Parliament.
By Kholwani Nyathi
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