Chinotimba faces axe over Tsholotsho meeting

Chinotimba faces axe over Tsholotsho meeting

CHINOTIMBA

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By Clemence Manyukwe

IN what could be tell-tale signs of the political demise of self-proclaimed commander-in-chief of farm occupations, Joseph Chinotimba, Zanu PF Harare province has passed a vote of no-confidence in him for allegedly participating in the unauthorised Tsholotsho high-powered indaba.

The province also passed a similar vote on former Harare ceremonial mayor and ex-Local Government deputy minister Tony Gara on the same charges.

If the two lose their case, they will also lose their places in the central committee.

The unsanctioned meeting, allegedly called for by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, has so far claimed the scalps of six provincial chairpersons who have since been suspended from the party for six months.

The meeting was convened allegedly to stage a “palace coup” and topple President Robert Mugabe’s lieutenants in the presidium. The meeting was allegedly meant to usher in a new dispensation and sideline the nomination of the now co-vice-president Joyce Mujuru and scuttle the re-nomination of Joseph Msika as vice-president and John Nkomo as national chairman.

Mujuru now occupies the void left by the late Simon Muzenda. Speculation was rife that Parliamentary Speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa would take over the vice- presidency, together with Women’s League boss Thenjiwe Lesabe, with Moyo replacing Mnangagwa as secretary for administration, while Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa was to become national chairman.

However, the alleged “coup plotters” were outmanoeuvred by President Mugabe who put a stop to the “madness”.

Gara yesterday confirmed that a vote of no-confidence had indeed been passed against himself and Chinotimba last Thursday by the party’s Harare provincial coordinating committee.

The committee is chaired by Minister of Mines and Mining Development Amos Midzi.

“What surprises me is that they went to pass a vote of no-confidence on the two of us, although I did nothing wrong. At least Chinotimba admitted that he attended the meeting, but I told them that I was nowhere near that meeting. I was not even invited,” complained Gara.

Gara said he was being punished for inviting Moyo – perceived in Zanu PF corridors as possessing a loose tongue – to donate computers to a school in Mbare East. Gara is eyeing that constituency.

On why he invited Moyo, Gara said since Moyo was donating computers “left right and centre” in rural constituencies, he saw no reason why he, too, could not benefit from the “scheme”.

The Thursday meeting was meant to review what transpired at the just ended ruling party’s congress, but ended up debating the Tsholotsho debacle.
Chinotimba, a member of the central committee, said of the vote of no-confidence: “Nothing was communicated to me over that issue. But I have received numerous calls from people asking if I have been expelled.”

Chinotimba was, together with war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda, booted out of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association for allegedly causing havoc and confusion in the organisation and undermining Zanu PF.

Their inglorious “exit” came soon after President Mugabe publicly asked Andrew Ndlovu to restructure the war veterans’ association.

Playing down the incident, Midzi said yesterday: “I am not commenting on that matter until further notice. I am going to comment when the time comes.”
Highly placed sources said the Tsholotsho meeting was now a hot potato and people were distancing themselves from it to save their political careers, which are now hanging on threads.
Daily Mirror
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