The Zanu-PF Manicaland province has unanimously voted to expel former secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa with immediate effect for behavior inconsistent with the ruling party’s principles.
The Manicaland provincial cordinating committee met at Mary Mount Teachers College.
Mutasa is underfire from Zanu-PF for rubbishing the party’s December congress and claiming that he remains the party’s secretary for administration despite being ousted last month.
Party insiders told VOA Studio 7 that Mutasa’s long-time rivals in the party, Higher Education Minister Oppah Muchinguri and Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa moved the motion to expel him. There is also a push by Zanu-PF to recall Mutasa from his headlands parliamentary seat.
Party political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere had called for a halt to the expulsions after the divisive congress that saw the majority of party provincial chairpersons and senior party officials being fired.
Kasukuwere told Studio 7 he will only comment when he receives official communication from Manicaland province about its decision. Efforts to get a comment from Chinamasa, Muchinguri and Mutasa were futile as their phones were not reachable.
But tensions have remained high in the party leading to serious friction. Political analyst Earnest Mudzengi, director of the Media Centre, told VOA Studio 7’s Blessing Zulu that the expulsion of Mutasa is not suprising.