The Sunday News
Mkhululi Sibanda, Assistant Editor
AXED Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Jonathan Moyo turned against a majority of people who had assisted him in building his political career especially those from Tsholotsho to the extent of no longer talking to them, a former top ally has revealed.
In an interview with Sunday News last Friday, Cde Believe Gaule who worked closely with Prof Moyo for a number of years while the former Minister was worming his way towards becoming a Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho from as early as 2000, said he was one of the people who were no longer on talking terms with the now self-exiled academic turned politician.
Cde Gaule said that was because he and others from Tsholotsho had expressed concern to Prof Moyo over his association with certain politicians and also his continued uncalled for attacks on then Vice-President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is now the country’s Head of State.
“After Prof Moyo won that by-election in 2015, he started changing as he became evasive to some of us who had worked closely with him and we had gone through political hardships together. Remember, I had worked with him closely while I was the DCC chairman for Tsholotsho and we were expelled together for being the brains behind the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration of 2004 that was held at Dinyane High School. So I was better positioned to talk to him but he started telling us that Cde Mnangagwa was against him (Prof Moyo) assuming certain positions in both party and Government. I told him point blank that it was not possible for ED to do that because he was not the appointing authority. I told him that it was his own creation and that angered him,” said Cde Gaule.
“It looks like he was being supported by Saviour Kasukuwere, they were just building a case against President Mnangagwa. When I tried to advise him that he was wrong then our relationship broke down. Things turned for the worst at the beginning of this year when he started avoiding some of us.
Then came a time when we stopped talking to each other completely.”
Cde Gaule said Prof Moyo then allegedly started going around bad mouthing him and other party cadres who come from Tsholotsho North constituency, saying they were members of the Lacoste faction that was working towards the unconstitutional removal of then President Cde Robert Mugabe.
Cde Gaule said Prof Moyo took a step further and called for their expulsion from the party.
“A list that contained our names was compiled and I even told Cde Jacob Mudenda (Speaker of Parliament) about it and he advised me not to worry much as things would come right. Prof Moyo tried to push the provincial chairman, Cde Richard Moyo to make sure we were expelled from the party but he was repulsed. Credit goes to Cde Moyo and other senior party members from the province who were putting their political careers on the line by refusing to pander to those political whims,” he said.
Cde Gaule said Prof Moyo through his association with the G40 Cabal had changed from a politician who took Tsholotsho matters to his heart and even traditional leaders were no longer happy with his conduct.
“Of late he had become divisive, the people of Tsholotsho know Tsholotsho as one but were being told of Tsholotsho North and Tsholotsho South. Our chiefs were even complaining that he was surrounding himself with people from outside the district,” he said.
“Jonathan Moyo was no longer that Jonathan Moyo who brought a lot of development projects to the district such as the construction of the GMB depot, the setting up of a CBZ branch, tarring of part of the Tsholotsho-Bulawayo highway and so on. One thing that I should bring to your attention is that some of us did a lot for Jonathan.
We organised the people for him and addressed them, something he could not do. Jonathan during his campaigns was fond of just distributing manifestos, no meetings but we stepped in and closed that gap. People in the rural areas need face to face engagement, not that academic way of just throwing pamphlets at them. ”
Cde Gaule said it was wrong for Prof Moyo to say Cde Mnangagwa was unelectable.
“If he was to come to Tsholotsho today, Jonathan would be shocked at the excitement that has gripped our area since President Mnangagwa took over.
The Kutonga Kwaro hit is the song of the moment. Some people have even been asking me when their President is going to visit Tsholotsho. If an election was to be held today, President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF would make a clean sweep. People everywhere in Tsholotsho are still celebrating the coming in of President Mnangagwa.”
