Always put party interests first, Chinamasa threatens ministers

ZANU-PF politburo member Patrick Chinamasa has threatened to fire ministers that do not file reports with the ruling party secretariat, in a move contrary to the separation between government and the ruling party.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s new dispensation, wants more say in State affairs.

At the start of his “second republic”, Mnangagwa moved a number of senior party officials from ministerial positions to Zanu-PF headquarters and kept their ministerial perks intact.

Cabinet ministers were therefore expected to report to these re-assigned ‘deadwood.’

These include Chinamasa, Obert Mpofu, David Parirenyatwa and Simon Khaya Moyo, among others. But now with very little say in how the economy is run, the former ministers have been lobbying for the party to have more say in government affairs.

Chinamasa, who is also the ruling party’s acting spokesperson, told a provincial coordinating committee meeting (PCC) in Mashonaland East that because Zanu-PF was the party that sponsored the ministers into government, then its interest should be served by anyone appointed by it.

Power, Chinamasa argued, resided at Zanu-PF headquarters and the party would not hesitate to pull the plug on anyone who does not conform to its dictates.

“I want to thank the ministers who came here, because these are our ministers in Zanu-PF. They should serve Zanu-PF interests not their own, but Zanu-PF,” he said.

“All the programmes that they are doing, be it fixing the roads and any other works, these are programmes driven by Zanu-PF.”

Chinamasa’s utterances came at a time Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and Lands minister Anxious Masuka last week came under fire over a statement they jointly issued, which most people said was ultra vires the ruling party’s position on land compensation.

-Newsday