Mkhwanazi was among three high-profile members who recently ditched Zapu to join the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The youths reportedly manhandled him and threatened to kill him for being a “Shona sell-out” who had betrayed them by joining a party that is “more tribal than Zanu (PF)”.
Mkhwanazi said the youths were led by MLF deputy president, Edgar Gumede, who denied involvement.
The veteran politician, widely respected for bravely weathering the Zanu (PF) storm, which saw him at one time incarcerated and charged with treason in Zimbabwe, said he was having a meal in Yeoville.
“About 10 youth members came to me and they were initially reluctant to harass me, but later joined in when Gumede began to manhandle me,” he said.
“What puzzles me is that Gumede is an old friend and former classmate of mine and it just shocked me that he could stoop so low as to judge and assault me for making my political choice, which is within my rights as an individual.”
Mkhwanazi has not had a rosy relationship with former Zanu PF members of Zapu, who felt threatened by his stature in Zimbabwean politics and for trying to steer an anti-Zanu PF political discourse in the party, he was recently suspended for two years by a group led by Dumiso Dabengwa’s trusted former Zanu PF lieutenants, who are wary of members who came from the MDC and pro-democracy pressure groups.
After the attack, the MLF gloated on its Facebook page that it had taught Mkhwanazi a good lesson and tried to link him to the Central Intelligence Organisation – an allegation made to try and justify the violent act, but which was quickly shot down by commentators on the same page.
Post published in: News
This Mkhwanazi guy is a fake, a habitual liar and opportunist. He was never a high profile ZAPU member. He was the Pretoria ZAPU district interim chairman who failed to mobilise enough people in the district to form a substantive branch. After having been beaten for PEC chairmanship by D. Mpondo, he tried to form an illegal parallel province and was suspended by ZAPU for it. Now he goes around parading himself as a key ZAPU member. The people he had bused in from Winterveld to support him to qualify for provincial elections are no where to be found now. Without these hired people his district would never have qualified to participate in the provincial elections. When ZAPU elders quizzed him about the authenticity of his district he threatened them with violence and thus he participated illegally in the elections.
Well done MLF youth. We are tired of these opportunistic “politicians”. Good luck MDC-T, ZAPU is happy to dump that kind of garbage at your door step. Watch and see the confusion he will cause you, not to say that you are not already confused yourselves.