ZMF divided over Rushwaya Henrietta Rushwaya

Freedom Mupanedemo

Midlands Bureau

Suspended Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya is battling from her prison cell to keep her position with her legal team from Mthombeni Legal Practitioners managing to stop a special general council meeting set for Tuesday, which could have sealed her fate at the association.

Rushwaya was arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport late last month with 6kg gold in her hand baggage and now faces charges of smuggling and bribery.

The ZMF management board, which consists of members of the national executive, the council and regional representatives convened soon after her arrest and announced her suspension, pending finalisation of her case.

The association’s vice president, Mr Marufu Sithole, was named the acting president.

ZMF on Tuesday then convened another meeting in Gweru where it reportedly intended to pass a vote of no confidence in her, and so open the post for a new election.

The meeting — according to some insiders — was forced to change the agenda after Rushwaya filed an urgent application seeking to bar the meeting.

ZMF spokesperson, Mr Desmond Mangisi, confirmed that Rushwaya’s team, which is contesting her suspension, had filed an application seeking to stop the meeting.

Mr Mangisi however, denied reports that the Gweru meeting was supposed to decide Rushwaya’s fate, but was convened to deliberate on the agenda of the association’s annual general meeting.

“There have been reports that the meeting was convened to discuss the fate of our suspended president, Ms Rushwaya, which is not true. Ms Rushwaya remains suspended,” he said.

“The suspension was above board so we had no business discussing her. The association, however, cannot fail to move on because she is in remand  prison”

ZMF secretary-general, Mr Morgan Mugawu said there was an error in the manner the special meeting was announced, prompting some people in Rushwaya’s camp to believe that the Gweru meeting was convened to deliberate on her fate.

“I think the term special congress misled people and there have been rumours. This was a preparatory meeting to come up with our AGM date and its agenda and nothing else,” he said.

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