Zimpapers Logo

Lloyd Gumbo Senior Reporter
Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for Matabeleland North Cde Richard Moyo says he does not expect to be booted out of the party as has happened to his counterparts because he has never been part of a team that allegedly wanted to unconstitutionally unseat President Mugabe.

Cde Moyo is the last man standing after votes of no confidence against provincial chairs Cdes Ray Kaukonde (Mashonaland East), Temba Mliswa (Mashonaland West), Callisto Gwanetsa (Masvingo), Jason Machaya (Midlands), Amos Midzi (Harare), Andrew Langa (Matabeleland South), Professor Callistus Ndlovu (Bulawayo), John Mvundura (Manicaland) and Luke Mushore (Mashonaland Central).

In an interview with The Herald on Wednesday, Cde Moyo said his secret was loyalty to Zanu-PF, President Mugabe and taking advice from his superiors in the province.

“The reason I have survived is because I do not do factions because I know they destroy the party,” said Cde Moyo.

“Chairmen in this province used to be suspended frequently and I learnt from that. I knew if I became treacherous, I would be suspended or fired hence I remained committed to uniting all structures from the cells to the Politburo. As we speak, Matabeleland North is united in the Politburo, Central Committee and provincial coordinating committee members.

“I was never approached by those people who have been doing factionalism because they knew I would expose them. My other strength is that I listen to advice from all the structures of the party including members of the Politburo, Central Committee, provincial coordinating committee and lower structures.” Cde Moyo, who joined the party in 1991, started as a cell member before being elected youth chairperson for Magobho district in Umguza in 1996, a post he held for 14 years.

He was then elected chairperson for Magobho district in the main wing in 2006, before being appointed acting political commissar when the substantive commissar was suspended.

Cde Moyo was then elected district coordinating committee chairperson in 2009 and after the provincial chairperson and his deputy were suspended, he was elected provincial chairperson in 2012.

“I was then re-elected provincial chairperson at last year’s elections maybe because when I took over in 2012 Zanu-PF only had three out of 13 seats in the province, he said.

But in the July 31 harmonised elections, we managed to garner seven seats mainly because of the role I played in uniting people. I would say I have remained loyal to the party, to the President and the people who elected me. That is why my name is not appearing in these factional things.”

Some quarters believe Cde Moyo will survive because of his close links to Politburo member and Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Obert Mpofu.

But Cde Moyo said he was not bothered by people who make such statements as long as he was being linked to people who were loyal to the party and President Mugabe.

“If they say I am his person then he is a good adviser because he did not advise me to do factional things that would have seen me in trouble,’’ he said. “What I can say is that I am working well with all Politburo members, Central Committee and provincial coordinating committee members who are advising me on how to run the party in the province.”

Minister Mpofu said he had no complaints against Cde Moyo since he managed to suppress factionalism in the province.

“He has been very effective in stemming factionalism out of the province because there are some very senior people who were part of this agenda of bribing people.