Garikai Fadzi
HARARE – ZANU PF national chairperson Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri has said most senior party members ended up supporting President Robert Mugabe, who resigned at 94 last year, under duress.
She said this during the inaugural Women’s Assembly meeting at the party’s headquarters in Harare.
“At 94, we lied to ourselves that we wanted to continue. It was all because of fear,” she said.
“It was a lie. We no longer wanted him. Some even lied that we would hold the politburo at the National Heroes Acre,” she said in apparent reference to a statement by former youth league boss Kudzai Chipanga who said Cabinet will even be held at the national shrine with Mugabe chairing.
“They were all lies, we were lying.”
The Zanu PF chairperson confessed that they sponsored resistance in Bulawayo when some party youths booed former first lady, Grace Mugabe during the ninth leg of the Youth Interface rallies in Bulawayo.
“Let’s be honest with each other. When we started resisting in Bulawayo by sponsoring children of the War veterans, denouncing them (former first family), we had begun the process of expressing our disapproval of Mr Mugabe’s conduct.”
“Although you still refer to him as our leader, we no-longer loved him. Stop it (Grace) was now in charge.”
Muchinguri-Kashiri said she had been forced to relinquish her position as the Zanu PF Women’s league secretary.
“l was forced to relinquish my position and l grudgingly gave her the position. The Lord had a reason…to let everyone see her madness.”
She applauded the role played by Operation Restore Legacy, which ushered in the new dispensation.
“We know Operation Restore Legacy allowed people to demonstrate against Mugabe and the ZANU PF Central Committee resolved to recall him. Members of Parliament were not outdone as they moved to impeach him.
“You may feel pity for him, but some of us do not.”
