Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau
PRESSURE continues to mount on Zanu-PF Politburo members Professor Jonathan Moyo and Cde Saviour Kasukuwere ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of the organ with the Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators Association turning the heat on them, and calling for their expulsion.
Prof Moyo is accused of using Twitter to attack fellow ministers, while Kasukuwere is accused of being divisive as the party’s political commissar. Both ministers insist their accusers are “successionists” trying to rush President Mugabe from power.
Ziliwaco secretary general, Cde Jabulani Mbetu, said they were fully behind the position taken by the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) calling for the sacking of Prof Moyo and Cde Kasukuwere.
The comments by Ziliwaco followed a position announced by war veterans secretary-general, Cde Victor Matemadanda, who said Prof Moyo should be expelled from the ruling party, for his alleged abuse of Twitter, where he is denigrating senior party members, in defiance of a directive by President Mugabe.
Cde Kasukuwere weighed in last week when he said the revolutionary party had no time discussing social media issues in its Politburo meetings.
Cde Kasukuwere, who is also Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister told journalists last Friday that the party had more serious issues to discuss.
“As liberation war collaborators of this country, we aren’t happy with the utterances of Jonathan Moyo. We’re in support of ZNLWVA national chairperson Christopher Mutsvangwa’s stance that the party should expel Jonathan Moyo.
“We want to remind our fellow comrade that the liberation struggle wasn’t fought through Twitter. As war collaborators, we’ll not allow Twitter to destroy our revolutionary party,” said Cde Mbetu.
He said Prof Moyo, who is also the Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister, was attacking the President indirectly.
“We’re aware of the utterances of Jonathan Moyo when he promised the nation that ‘to destroy Zanu-PF one has to fight while being inside it.’
“As war collaborators, we’ll not sit back and watch Jonathan Moyo destroy the party,” he said.
He rapped Zanu-PF national political commissar, Cde Kasukuwere, for condoning the abuse of social media, saying uprisings that have occurred in other countries were spawned by the abuse of social media.
“That’s not our culture as a party. Cde Kasukuwere should know better as the political commissar. Mind you, social media has been a recipe for uprisings in many countries,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Ziliwaco national executive and provincial chairpersons across the country.
Organs of the party such as the Youth League have also expressed grave concern over the abuse of social media.