The ruling Zanu PF has suspended some members of the party’s Youth League, who claimed yesterday that three top Zimbabweans businessmen, some of them linked to the presidium, are engaged in shady deals that are devastating the local economy.
The party suspended Youth League secretary Pupurai Togarepi, his deputy Lewis Matutu and secretary for the commissariat Godfrey Tsenengamu, accusing them of violating the party’s rules and regulations by making public statements denouncing Green Fuel (Pvt) Limited director Billy Rautenbach, Kuda Tagwirei of Sakunda Holdings and Tafadzwa Musarara, chairperson of the Grain Millers Association, for allegedly bleeding the country’s economy.
Announcing the suspensions, acting information secretary, Patrick Chinamasa, said the three should have followed normal channels instead of making public statements denigrating Musarara, Rautenbach and Tagwirei without proper authorization.
The decision to suspend them was made at the party’s Politburo meeting held in Harare on Wednesday. Togarepi will remain a Central Committee member while Matutu and Tsenengamu are now ordinary card-carrying members of the party.
Chinamasa said, “… After 12 months, they will be eligible to stand in any elections to any position within the party.”
According to Chinamasa, the Politburo once warned the party youth to refrain from making such statements without following laid down Zanu PF regulations.
“The Politburo took note of this irregular modus operandi which is alien to the party’s way of doing its business … It is also important to highlight that previously it happened and the Politburo deliberated and specifically gave a directive that the youth, if they have any problems, which are of significance to them, they should raise them in a proper forum.”
“We basically invite and encourage our general membership that if they are witnesses and have evidence of any corruption against whomsoever, to raise these issues with the relevant authorities, in this case, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and where they think its pertaining to senior party members, they should bring them to the party.”
Musarara has already indicated that he will take stern measures against Matutu and Tsenengamu while Tagwirei and Rautenbach have not yet reacted to the allegations laid against them.