The expulsion of war veteran and Zimbabwe’s former Vice President Joice Mujuru from Zanu PF last week has been met with mixed reactions from some local people.
Many Harare residents like Thenjiwe Tshuma say they are unhappy with the manner in which the former Zanu PF stalwart was expelled from the ruling party.
Tshuma says the Zanu PF Politburo’s decision to expel Mrs. Mujuru without affording her an opportunity to defend herself was undemocratic.
Peter Dube of Mufakose high density suburb in Harare, echoes the same sentiments, noting that Zanu PF’s decision to expel Mrs. Mujuru was not well thought out by the party, which has been in power since independence from British rule in 1980.
And Mabvuku resident, Patson Kadenge, believes that the former vice president’s expulsion was a ploy by the ruling party to divert the attention of the majority from pressing economic issues.
She adds that allegations that Mrs. Mujuru plotted to assassinate President Robert Mugabe appear to be far-fetched.
Kadenge says Mrs. Mujuru should have been arrested by now if she was pushing for Mr. Mugabe’s ouster.
Those allegations surfaced in the run-up to the Zanu PF congress last December when Mr. Mugabe’s wife, Grace, went on a whirlwind tour of various provinces and denounced Mrs. Mujuru claiming that she was also corrupt and working with the West to promote a regime change agenda.
Mrs. Mujuru and some of her colleagues, who were dumped before the congress, dismissed the allegations as misleading and calculated at unseating them from strategic party and national political positions.
Kadenge, who claims to be one of the supporters of the former vice president, says she should end her silence and come back to mainstream politics and do what her sympathizers are expecting her to do.
Edgar Gweshe of Chitungwiza argues that the dismissal of the former vice president confirms a split in the party.
At the same time, Jeffrey Moyo of Harare’s Eastlea suburb says Zanu PF destroyed itself when it decided to expel Mrs. Mujuru.
Tshuma adds that the expulsion of Mrs. Mujuru from both Zanu PF and government, where she was number two to President Mugabe, is a major step backwards in promoting women empowerment.
Political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya, who heads the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, says Mrs. Mujuru can cause headaches for Zanu PF ahead of the 2018 national elections.
Following her expulsion from Zanu PF last week, Mrs. Mujuru has largely remained silent.
She only reacted through a WhatsApp status update that reads “I will no longer allow the negative things in my life to spoil all of the good things I have done. I choose to be happy.”
