In his closing address to the Congress yesterday evening, President Mugabe said he would before the end of the week appoint a new Vice President to replace VP Mujuru.
The Zanu-PF First Secretary said he would also appoint members to the positions of Second Vice-President, National Chairman and various Politburo secretaries by Thursday but would not consider VP Mujuru, former Secretary for Administration Cde Didymus Mutasa and those who were fanning factionalism on their behalf.
By losing her position in the party, VP Mujuru will effectively lose her position in Government.
President Mugabe, who was expected to announce the new hierarchy of the party yesterday, said he was not going to rush the process as he had to choose from a pool of new Central Committee members. He also hinted that a number of former Politburo members would not be re-appointed.
“Now we don’t want to rush to establish departments. Departments yes, some of the departments we will continue to have but it’s actually to choose people. I could not rush to choose people. I would want time to look at the new names; new people who have come to the central committee and see which hands-on people we can put into the Politburo.
“So if the people are sifted they do not cry foul. If they have lost we say sorry but we will say goodbye to you; and there will be many goodbyes. Some have already chosen through their own irregular acts, to bid us farewell. Those who are not here have said goodbye to us, I don’t see us having them back in the Central Committee. We are not sending them away, no, except for those we expelled. But the others if we don’t expel them and just get them out of the Central Committee and get them out of the management of the provinces et cetera and say be an ordinary member. They will never be dismissed or expelled. So they become an ordinary member. They will have no time to do their funnies,” President Mugabe said, drawing cheers from the 12 000-strong congress.
“We will set up a Politburo meeting . . . I don’t have to rush it so be patient. But mid next week by Wednesday or Thursday we will make an announcement, we will let you know. We will have to choose two Vice-Presidents and a Chairman and the Secretary (for Administration).”
President Mugabe took a swipe at the party’s commissariat department which was headed by Cde Webster Shamu for causing confusion and failing to implement party programmes.
Shamu, who lost elections for central committee membership in Mashonaland West and was not appointed by President Mugabe, is now an ordinary member of the party.
“The commissariat didn’t seem to know what to do and what not to do. Touching this touching that, touching this touching that. At the end of the day as you are touching almost everything you find the only thing you have touched is nothing. There is nothing that you have nearly handled. You have touched, you’ve touched, you’ve touched but what have you nearly handled. It’s nothing, and we don’t want to have that,” he said.
He also advised party members that problems caused by VP Mujuru and her faction had not destroyed the party.
“A group within us was planning to undertake a disruptive operation and granted, that must have disturbed many of you. But having come and having listened to us, I’m sure you will go back comforted that that problem has been handled and handled properly and the party is very safe, the leaders are safe.
“We tried to make this conference, the composition of it, as large as possible; the largest we have ever had so far — 12 000 people. But still you realise that it’s without lots of other important people. However, you have been fortunate enough to come,” he said.
President Mugabe, who was unanimously elected to continue leading the party, thanked delegates for having faith in him and promised that the new Politburo would work harder to better the lives of – See more at: http://www.bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-58925.html#sthash.jSX443H9.dpuf
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