“Firstly, nowhere did the government say I made those statements,” he said.“Secondly, ask yourself what was the motivation of Charamba to come up with that press statement without consulting me and even seeing the video,” said Mukupe.“It is a fact that Mavis Gumbo is a looser (sic) and it is a fact that Charamba has been sleeping with Mavis Gumbo.”Mukupe boasted that he was the only one mobilising for support among students to join Zanu PF and defend Mnangagwa on social media.
“Give me one Zanu PF politician in the past 38 years who has been able to face university students and to preach them the gospel of Zanu PF,” he charged.
“Everyone has been ducking and diving. I have a calling and will do just that.”
He also lashed out at Zanu PF sympathisers on the WhatsApp group saying: “Let’s not be WhatsApp activists and get into the field. This is politics, not a church.”
Mukupe did not respond to questions sent to him on the matter. Charamba said he was not the author of Moyo’s statement condemning the deputy minister’s utterances.
The president’s spokesperson retorted: “Who issued the statement that he is reacting to? So he is suggesting that the minister is so daft to the extent that he can’t write his statement on his own?
“He must tell that directly to the minister, not to me. I will not respond to other issues that are peripheral.
“If he thinks the minister has no capacity to respond on behalf of government, then he is suggesting something else, which I cannot respond to.”
On the other hand, Gumbo said although she was aware of the WhatsApp messages, she was not interested in a fight with Mukupe.
Meanwhile, the deputy minister issued a statement yesterday denying that he said the army would stop Chamisa from taking over from Mnangagwa and seemed to justify his attack against former Finance minister Tendai Biti and Newsday journalist Blessed Mhlanga.
“I feel it is of the utmost importance to apologise and clarify on some statements that have been misinterpreted and in some cases deliberately distorted and misrepresented,” he said.
“I am a passionate supporter of both the president and our highly professional military and for that I will never apologise.”
Mukupe said his utterances had been taken out of context by “aggressive and unruly opposition elements”.
“Let me be clear that I stand firmly with the president and government in calling for free and fair elections,” he said.
The former banker said his ARVs rant against Biti was a response to a provocation by the MDC Alliance principal who allegedly used vulgar language during the radio interview.
“Though I was abused and insulted by the tone and content of Biti’s interview, I should not have responded in such a way and I apologise for the offence I have caused by the remarks I made pertaining to ARVs,” he said.
He claimed Mhlanga and his wife also provoked him during the interview at the ZBC-run radio station.
“While his provocative behaviour, cheered on by his female counterpart, in itself was disgraceful, I do apologise for my untoward response of walking away from the interview,” he said.
“As a deputy minister and representative of the Zimbabwean people, in future I must focus my passion for my people, Zimbabwe’s financial well-being.” – The Standard
