Embattled War Veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa, who was slapped with a three-year suspension from Zanu PF on Thursday, says he does not care for his Cabinet and former politburo positions.
The outspoken minister and war veterans’ boss said prior to his suspension, he actually requested Mugabe to fire him because he voluntarily rejoined Zanu PF in 2000 to save the ruling party “ethos and not to be served”.
Mutsvangwa said after his “bitter” experience as Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to China, he now has a general loathing for assignments that solely depended on an individual’s discretion.
“I neither care for that politburo post, nor indeed for the ministerial appointment,” Mutsvangwa said yesterday.
“So Norton constituency, yes; war veterans’ chairmanship, yes; politburo and Cabinet appointments – I don’t’ really care. In fact, two days ago I asked His Excellency for the honour of dismissing me because I only came in to save the revolutionary ethos and not to be served.”
Mutsvangwa was suspended on allegations of convening a war veterans meeting without informing Mugabe, the war veterans patron. His wife Monica was also slapped with three-year suspension for allegedly undermining First Lady Grace Mugabe.
The two were reportedly linked to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Team Lacoste faction that is battling with G40, another Zanu PF faction which has Grace, Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo, Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Indigenisation minister Patrick Zhuwao, in the race to succeed Mugabe.
The two were suspended alongside Zanu PF women’s league secretary for administration Espinah Nhari, while 14 party members from the youth wing were expelled for undermining Grace.
Mutsvangwa said when he requested Mugabe to fire him, the 92-year-old leader started reminiscing about their long association since 1975 when he and four other students absconded from the then University of Rhodesia to join the liberation war.
“I came back into politics voluntarily in 2000 to help confront the menacing threat of nascent MDC. This was after years in the lucrative cellular and Internet business,” he said. “Between 2007 and 2013, I was again out of government commission. As a war veteran-turned-businessman, I don’t have a craving for a public job if it is not elected. You will recall I spurned the offer of a second ambassadorship to Germany in 2006.”
Mutsvangwa added: “To understand that, over the years I developed autonomous self-actualisation capabilities stemming from the sustained hostility by his (Mugabe) government even as he showed partiality to me.”
“So I have no sobs over the abuse of his high office to hound me,” he said.
Mutsvangwa had no kind words for G40, which he said now had a “clutch hold of State House”.
“I am in a different mould from the vapid and vacuous ‘Gang of Four’ of Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Zhuwao. They are clutching on the robes of Jiang Jing and Mao era Gang of Four lunacy.”
In recent weeks, Mutsvangwa had nasty public exchanges with Moyo, who he described as the late Ndabaningi Sithole’s son and a thief who stole a radio from his “stepmother” Vesta Sithole.
He described Moyo as a Gregory Rasputin. Moyo fired back, also accusing Mutsvangwa of stealing female combatants’ undergarments and selling them during the liberation struggle. newsday