Staff ReporterHarare – Ex-Zanu-PF party women’s boss Oppah Muchinguri has spilt the beans, saying she feared being killed after she was pressured by a lot of people to give up the powerful women’s league position to former first lady Grace Mugabe, says a report.
According to New Zimbabwe.com, speaking at a Zanu-PF provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Mutare, Machinguri claimed that she gave up the post after she realised that the ex-first lady unleashed “thugs” on her.
Muchinguri – a President Emmerson Mnangagwa ally – said that Grace also obtained a dubious PhD in preparation for her new role.
Said Muchinguri: “Let me tell you something that you did not know as Zanu-PF supporters. I was forced to step down from my position as women’s league secretary after Grace sent some mujibhas namely Pupurai Togarepi and the late Shuvai Mahofa. I stood my ground but later she hired Mavis Madzongwe then I realised that I was going to die for this post and then I gave up.”
Muchinguri also claimed that ex-president Robert Mugabe was responsible for his own downfall after allowing his wife to be involved in politics and taking government decisions, said the state owned Herald newspaper.
Muchinguri said that the veteran leader’s fall should serve as a lesson to coming party and government leaders not to involve their spouses in politics.
“… I relinquished the post because the pressure was just too much and little did we know that we were creating problems for the party. This was a well-orchestrated move by the G40 (Generation 40) because they knew that if Grace Mugabe becomes part of their cabal, it was easy to deal with Cde Mugabe because of his advanced age,” Muchinguri was quoted as saying.
