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George Maponga in Masvingo
Zanu-PF leaders here have scoffed at claims by former president Mr Robert Mugabe that he was ousted from power through military force yet facts on the ground indicate that the former Head of State was removed by the ruling party’s Central Committee after Zimbabweans had openly rejected him.

This comes in the wake of claims by Mr Mugabe during an interview with some local and international news organisations that he was unconstitutionally removed from power by the military.

Addressing hundreds of Zanu-PF members during a meeting to assess the state of party structures in Masvingo Urban at Chiefs’ Hall last Friday, Central Committee member Cde Clemence Makwarimba said Mr Mugabe was removed by the ruling party Central Committee, which replaced him with current Zanu-PF leader and President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Cde Makwarimba told cheering party members that there was nothing illegal in the way President Mnangagwa assumed power in November last year.

“We hear the former president telling the world that he was removed from power by the military, no that is not true at all, he was removed as Zanu-PF leader by the ruling party Central Committee which passed a vote of no confidence in him and elected President Mnangagwa to take over, everyone knows than,’’ he said.

“There were no soldiers at the Central Committee meeting that removed him as leader of Zanu-PF, the Central Committee unanimously passed a resolution removing Mugabe as Zanu-PF leader.”

He also dismissed Mr Mugabe’s calls for President Mnangagwa to meet him to restore what he called an “illegality” in the way the current Zanu-PF leader and President assumed power.

“It’s him who fired President Mnangagwa from the party and Government, a man who had loyally served him for more than five decades. What crime had he committed?

“A man like President Mnangagwa being forced to walk for 30km running away from the country he liberated to save his life from some people who wanted to take him down. Was that fair?” asked Cde Makwarimba.

Cde Makwarimba said Mr Mugabe voluntarily relinquished power after realising that no one was still supporting him as the Parliament moved to impeach him.

Speaking at the same meeting, Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial chairman Cde Ezra Chadzamira also rubbished Mr Mugabe’s calls for President Mnangagwa to engage him.

Cde Chadzamira said it was shocking that Mr Mugabe still harboured ambitions to return to the presidency of Zimbabwe after 37 years in power.

“We expect a person of his age to be at home with his family and enjoying his peace. Why is he still dabbling in politics? We hear of his hand in several opposition political projects emerging around the country, but my warning to him is to stop doing that for the sake of what remains of his legacy,” said Cde Chadzamira.

Turning to the upcoming harmonised elections, Cde Chadzamira urged the people of Masvingo to make sure they all register to vote and vote for President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF.

He said the ruling party was gunning for a victory for President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF in Masvingo which is a ruling party stronghold.

Zanu-PF swept all the 26 House of Assembly seats in the 2013 consigning the opposition to the political dustbin and the ruling party leadership is confident of repeating the same feat this year.