Masawi threatened with action over Tekere book

Masawi threatened with action over Tekere book

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By Torby Chimhashu

ZIMBABWE'S veteran politician Edgar Tekere has divided the ruling Zanu PF party following the publication of his new book A Lifetime of Struggle.

The party's youth wing has called for his expulsion, just under a year after his readmission.

Sources said Tekere, who during the launch of his book said he has many friends in Zanu PF much to the dismay of President Robert Mugabe's supporters, has the support of powerful ruling party stalwarts including Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa who pushed for his readmission and is against his ouster.

"Many influential people in Zanu PF regard Tekere as one of their own and are against his expulsion," a Zanu PF central committee member said Monday.

"Under normal circumstances, people like Mutasa and the party's spokesperson Shamuyarira should have criticised him for the attack on Mugabe. It is not a coincidence that the job to defend Mugabe was left to MDC member Patrick Kombayi and the forgotten Gorge Rutanhire."

The divisions has seen the party's youth league calling for action against Zanu PF officials who attended Tekere's book launch who include Shamuyarira's deputy Ephraim Masawi who is also Mashonaland Central provincial governor and resident minister.

Masawi as the party's deputy spokesperson has also avoided attacking Tekere.

Journalists at the state-run Herald newspaper Monday said they had sought comment from Mutasa as the party's secretary for administration over Tekere's denunciation of Mugabe but Mutasa declined to comment.

Mutasa was not returning calls Monday.

To underline the divisions, sources said although the ruling party's Manicaland Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) had endorsed Tekere readmission and issued him with a card, Mugabe and his two deputies, Joice Mujuru and Joseph Msika, had opposed the move by the PCC whose members include Mutasa and Zanu PF's women's boss Oppah Muchinguri, calling it "irregular".

The PCC was dealt a blow when Zanu PF said Tekere was barred from holding any position for the next five years.

The party's central committee report presented at the party's annual conference last December confirms the presidium's differed with the Manicaland PCC on Tekere.

The report said in part: "The presidency observed that Cde Tekere was already a member of the party, which was an irregularity and therefore, the national disciplinary committee was assigned to deal with the conditions Cde Tekere should meet before he enjoys the membership rights to be elected to any office in the party as provided for in the party constitution under Article 3, Section
17 (2)."

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