Mutsvangwa ungovernable, disrespectful: Walter Mze...

Mutsvangwa ungovernable, disrespectful: Walter Mzembi

Zim Now Writer

Zimbabwe’s former Tourism minister, Walter Mzembi has said that Chris Mutsvangwa was fired as Minister of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs because he is ungovernable and does not respect the authority of others.

The Deputy Chief Secretary of Presidential Communications in the Office of the President and Cabinet, George Charamba announced Mutsvangwa’s removal from office on January 3, 2024 but did not give reasons for the dismissal.

Mzembi said his opinion is based on what led to his dismissal by the late President Robert Mugabe in 2016.

“It’s simply that Chris is ungovernable and does not submit to the authority of anyone let alone the collectively of Cabinet and the President. He is an all-knowing man of many words who does not know when to mute himself.

“On several occasions inside Cabinet in 2016, he would take on Mugabe to an embarrassing point where President Emmerson Mnangagwa himself then Vice President would be the only one able to silence him with the strongest rebuke and I quote his below;

“Chris, Chris I said shut up, shut up Chris, I am your Commander Chris, I order you to shut up!”

“At this point Chris would pack his Cabinet file and leave in a huff!

“Mugabe believed in the superiority of ideas and would allow exhaustive debate on any item, but our brother Chris knowing it all, would roughshod over everyone at which point Mugabe would come in to exercise his authority as Chairman to restore order and decorum and the Minister of War Veterans would refuse to recognise that authority.

“Disagreements were mainly around the agency he seemed to carry over Chinese Investments which would often blind his judgement,” Mzembi said.

He added that the 2016 Cabinet team had strong characters who could withstand and fight back, which the current pedigree of Ministers might not withstand without seeking the protection of Mnangagwa.

He added that Mnangagwa himself left him out of his Cabinet line-up in 2018 because he was minding this disharmony, he would bring in his new team.

“He instead appointed him Special Advisor but even this would not cut it. It was a gamble from the very beginning bringing him back into Cabinet.

“Exploiting his parallel authority of Zanu PF Official Party Spokesman his last Press Conference last week was an intrusion into other Ministerial mandates and may have actually become his proverbial Waterloo. Going further to declare his ambition in his soliloquy he sealed his fate on that day!

"With his highly opinionated acerbic style of delivery clearly misrepresenting the collective he has been responsible for even how some of us have not found each other with our former Party," he added.

Mzembi said that supporters of Mutsvangwa are spreading a story that he was fired because he resisted President Mnangagwa’s plan for a third term. However, Mzembi questions where, when, and how Mutsvangwa has been active in opposing this agenda.

Mzembi said he believes it will be difficult to deceive the public and gain support for or against any Zanu PF party.

Some people think that despite his loyalty to Mnangagwa, Mutsvangwa has been too ambitious and has been aspiring to become the Vice President.