Zimpapers Logo

Herald Reporter

Former Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office Mr Sylvester Nguni said he left the Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) party because it deviated from the founding principles.Mr Nguni said he was no longer with the party’s president Dr Joice Mujuru or the Elders faction of Didymus Mutasa and others.

“I left the party because (Dr) Mujuru and Mutasa deviated from the founding values,” said Mr Nguni.

He said some of the issues he conflicted with the ZimPF leadership were to do with the number of vice presidents. He said unlike Zanu-PF, which is a bigger party, ZimPF could not afford to have two vice presidents since it was still a small party.

“I am no longer with ZimPF. I am not with Dr Mujuru and I am not with Mutasa.

“I am out of ZimPF,” said Mr Nguni.

In his resignation letter from the party a fortnight ago, Mr Nguni said things never went well from the beginning in ZimPF.

“I was left with no choice but to leave the party as it was clear to me the leadership did not see things the same way and would not change in their ways,” he wrote.

“Dialogue was not given a chance and a party is torn asunder.”

Mr Nguni said it was fundamental that leaders and people in general should be able to deal with disagreements by following a process.

“Here we have two sides in ZimPF that have clearly shown that they do not subscribe to the view that correct structures can and should deal with opposing views,” he said.

“We are now observing how destructive it can be when political leaders cannot tolerate opposing views. “I refuse to take sides in the current ZimPF dispute because the real problem is that a proper process has not been followed now or before on numerous occasions by either side.

“I pointed out this to both sides as I was in charge of administration and the secretariat of the party, but to no avail.”

ZimPF officially split a fortnight ago after party members counter-expelled each other, resulting in several other senior party members quitting as well.

Dr Mujuru expelled five big wigs including Mr Mutasa and Mr Rugare Gumbo before they counter expelled her. The same week, other high-profile figures that included Retired Brigadier-General Agrippa Mutambara, Mr Nguni and Mr Ray Kaukonde also left the party.