The Mujuru faction, which has been exposed in the leaked cables, heads the disciplinary arm of Zanu (PF) but has flatly refused to act on the officials, or launch and kind of investigation. The officials have been accused of leaking party information to the Americans.
Most damning in the cables is the exposure of a secret meeting between the faction head, Joice Mujuru, and the US Ambassador in an unoccupied house she owns on the outskirts of Harare. The meeting broke Ministry of Foreign Affairs protocol.
Several other members of the Mujuru faction have been named in the cables, including Saviour Kasukuwere, Walter Mzembi, David Butau, Sylvester Nguni, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and many others. A veteran member of the Mnangangwa faction was clearly worried about the party's apparent inaction on the matter.
Zanu (PF) spokesman, Rugare Gumbo, a member of the Mujuru faction, gave a
weak response to the Wikileaks exposure:
"It is unfortunate senior and prominent people have been implicated," he said. "The revelations are disturbing, demoralising. All the same, that's what revolutions or political situations do. You run into situations you didn't know. We are studying the issue, we want to see how this develops.”
A former provincial chairman and senior Zanu (PF) official said the law must take its course and those implicated must face the music. He admitted the party had been thrown into disarray over the Wikileaks cables, with the Mnangagwa faction reportedly agitating that the Attorney General Johannes Tomana make a "declarata" that the Wikileaks cables were "credible evidence".
"This is prostitution," said a Zanu Consultative Assembly member.
He, and others who were interviewed by The Zimbabwean, declined to be named for fear of victimisation.
"What is different between this and prostitution? When you have a wife and you know she is prostituting, and all the relatives and the public knows she is prostituting, what do you do? Do you fold your arms?"
A Zanu PF Politburo member said: "Any of these guys who are reasonable, this is the time to resign."
He said what this means was that the President was sitting in the Politburo with "spies."
"What this has technically done is to appoint the US ambassador into the Politburo, the ambassadors are members of cabinet and even the JOC.”
Describing the fingered officials as "double agents", he said even in the US, they had a peculiar way of dealing with spies.
"Wikileaks have exposed Zanu (PF) party spies and they must be dealt with," said the official. "If Chiyangwa, even Tracy Mutinhiri were suspended, how do you fail to act on this?"
Another Central Committee member said: "To try and babysit this is to denounce our nationhood. If for selfish reasons you chose not to act on this, what next? How can you betray a nation? Masiyana papi naNyathi? Zimbabwe has laws. If leniency is going to be extended it will be the prerogative of the president."
Post published in: News