Mugabe drops Moyo from Cabinet

Mugabe drops Moyo from Cabinet

MOYO

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By Staff Reporters

ZIMBABWE'S Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has been officially discharged from government, just a day after he filed papers to stand as an independent candidate in March's parliamentary elections.

A brief statement signed by President Robert Mugabe, and released on Saturday night, said Moyo had been expelled from the ruling Zanu PF party, the government, Cabinet and Parliament.

The same statement said all Moyo's benefits and privileges had been withdrawn "with immediate effect".

Political journalist Dumisani Muleya explained: "Moyo's decision to stand in Tsholotsho was not only a dangerous but also a reckless miscalculation. He has not only lost his political but also his social status. This now means all the laws that he helped to craft like AIPPA, POSA and the Broadcasting Services Act will now form common front against him. He ain't seen nothing yet."

Muleya told New Zimbabwe.com that Moyo's choice would have been to stay in Zanu PF, as demonstrated by his vain statement issued to State media on Friday.

Moyo said in his statement: "I wish it known that my decision is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a statement of defiance of anyone or anything but fundamentally a principled expression of respect of the clear and present wishes of the people of Tsholotsho.

"There is a world of difference between defiance and pursuit of principle. President Mugabe has repeatedly said that the people have a right to choose their representatives and not have such representatives imposed on the people under what pretext.

"I have arrived at this decision after deep-seated soul-searching and having taken into full account all the elevant personal and national pros and cons of the matter."

Zanu PF recently announced that any member of its party who stands as an independent "automatically expels himself’’ from the party.

Moyo who has been campaigning in Tsholotsho was prevented from standing there by Zanu PF when the party announced the seat had been reserved for a woman. This came after Moyo was accused of organising an indaba in Tsholotsho where it is alleged he plotted to prevent Joyce Mujuru's ascendence to the Vice Presidency.

Moyo, a former university lecturer, has in the past four years studiously built a support base in Matabeleland with regular cash donations and community investments.

Observers say he will win Tsholotsho, if he does stand.
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