HARARE - Jabulani Sibanda, the controversial leader of Zanu PF’s War Veterans, has been dumped by Mugabe and told he has a case to answer.

Sibanda who was suspended from the party for his role in the “Tsholostho Declaration” was left in the cold yesterday as the curtain came down on the party’s Extraordinary Congress at Harare City Sports Centre yesterday.

The war veterans chairman was supposed to give solidarity messages before the party delegates but party chairman, John Nkomo, refused him the chance to address the gathering and instead called the vice chairman, Joseph Chinotimba, to speak on behalf of the veterans of the 70s war.

This did not go down well with Sibanda’s supporters who started chanting his name and in the process stopped Chinotimba from making the solidarity messages. It was only after Mugabe intervened that order was restored.

“We want discipline!” Mugabe retorted. “We understand the role Sibanda has played in campaigning for the party but he is on suspension and his case is yet to be finalized.

 

We called his number two to speak on behalf of the war veterans because Sibanda is not fit to stand before you on this podium and address you,” said a visibly disturbed Mugabe.

 He said that in as much as Sibanda had been the point man and the one responsible for the “Million Man and Woman March” the party constitution stipulated that his case should be heard first.

“We could not keep away from the marches and campaign programmes he was doing because it was for the benefit of the party but he remains suspended until we sit down and discuss the issue,” Mugabe said.

Party insiders say Mugabe could not resist the pressure from the Matebeleland hierarchy who did not support the solidarity marches led by Sibanda.

 

They disagreed with Mugabe saying the war vets leader was still suspended and could not perform party duties.

“Mugabe could not stand by Sibanda for long because the leaders from Matebeleland snubbed the marches including the one held in Highfield. Msika, Ndlovu, Dabengwa and most of the leaders stayed away and Mugabe could have used it to get endorsement from Matebeleland,

This is a very sensitive issue that can harm the party because Unity Day is around the corner and most of these Matebeleland leaders don’t have support back home, they are appointees and Matebeleland could be burning with anger,” said a member of the politburo who refused to be named.

The decision has put a damper on what has been a relatively controversy free congress that saw Mugabe being unanimously endorsed.

 

The Women’s League, War Veterans and the Youth League are reportedly angry at the decision as they say the marches helped Mugabe get the endorsement as his detractors were cowed by the support Mugabe got.

“We are not happy at all because we gave our president the confidence going into this congress. Why was he accredited as a delegate if he was suspended? We are tired of these divide and rule tactics, Cde Mbudzi was suspended for going against the marches so why are they dumping the brains behind those marches,” said a member of the Youth League.

Mugabe, however, realizes the potential to destabilize the party the issue has and seems keen on getting everyone on one side but that is going to be difficult.

“We had a little issue that was about to cause a few problems just now but we want everyone to be focused on our duties.

 

We should carry the tasks of the party forward and this issue will be solved soon, we are going to sit down and see what needs to be down.

 

At the moment let’s work for the party no matter what has happened here today,” Mugabe said in his closing remarks in an apparent appeal to Sibanda to stay calm.

Sibanda who cut a lonely figure soon after Mugabe had said he remained suspended was the mastermind of the marches that were conducted across Zimbabwe  and claimed that he did not care of the opposition he was getting within the party as he was under the orders of Mugabe himself.