AS JOICE Mujuru began an ambitious effort to recast herself as a reformed politician yesterday, trashing everything she stood for in the Zanu-PF government where she spent three decades, not everyone was overcome by amnesia.
Mujuru criticised the land reform and called for Zimbabwe’s return to the club of former British colonies, the Commonwealth. She totally side-stepped punitive Western sanctions on Zimbabwe and said she would re-engage the West should she win elections with her Zimbabwe People First party in 2018.
Even as she prepares to canvass for support, a leading social and political commentator yesterday warned Mujuru — who left Zanu-PF and the Vice Presidency in ignominy in 2014 — that her past would not be easily forgotten — especially in Matabeleland.
In 1997, Mujuru, then the Information, Posts and Telecommunications Minister, committed a grave political sin — defying instructions from the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo before questioning his sanity.
Nkomo, idolised countrywide for his leadership of the Independence war effort, and especially in Matabeleland his home, had directed Mujuru to issue Econet Wireless with a cellular network licence but instead she awarded it to Telecel.
She said she had defied the iconic former PF-Zapu leader, who was 80 then, after being “advised that the Vice President wasn’t at his best.”
“Dr Nkomo is ageing and doesn’t always understand or remember things as well as he used to,” she said.
She then accused Econet chairman at the time, Strive Masiyiwa, of taking advantage of Nkomo’s old age to manipulate him into granting the mobile service provider a licence.
President Mugabe, who was out of the country, slapped her down and ordered her to apologise to Nkomo. Telecel’s licence was withdrawn and finally awarded to Econet.
Analyst and descendant of King Lobengula, Prince Zwidekalanga Khumalo, yesterday said Nkomo’s political stature was too big for Mujuru’s insults to be forgotten.
Mujuru at the time was a junior member of the party.
“My thinking is that Nkomo as a politician and the politics he represented as well as a child of Matabeleland had a huge status. Any comments about him required one to be politically mature and watch their words,” said Khumalo.
He said Mujuru had never publicly apologised for her sentiments and Nkomo never publicly announced ever receiving an apology from her.
Khumalo said the insult would dent Mujuru’s chances of getting supporters especially in the southern region.
“If she never fully apologised at the time with the dedication that the apology deserved, it’ll harm her,” said Khumalo.
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