Mujuru party top official quits after public brawl

A top official in the National People’s Party led by Zimbabwe’s former deputy president Joice Mujuru has quit his position as national spokesperson a week after being involved in a nasty public brawl with a colleague.

In a letter to his boss Mujuru, NPP national spokesperson Jealous Mawarire quit the party Thursday, saying he had made the decision after “thorough reflection” on events in the party, “especially the nruly behaviour by your spokesperson, Mr Gift Nyandoro”, whom Mawarire accused of exhibiting thuggish behaviour.

“… even during the national executive committee meetings that you chaired wherein he has threatened fellow national members with physical harm or ‘taking them to the satanic realm’, whatever that means,” Mawarire said.

“Such behaviour hasn’t been condemned, even when it happened in your full view during meetings that you chaired.”

Mawarire and Nyandoro were involved in a nasty public fight outside Bronte Hotel in the capital a week ago, which left the latter suffering a fractured leg.
Allegations were that they were fighting over coalition policies.

He said since Mujuru had not condemned Nyandoro’s actions, it had taken “away the little respect I had for him and your office that I though he represented”.
Mawarire accused Nyandoro and top two NPP Harare provincial members, whom he did not name, of hiring “thugs” to trail him.

“I see no point really to engage, every day, in fighting thugs rather than the oppressive Zanu PF regime,” he said.

He further referred to a section of those who had assumed top positions in the opposition party as thugs, whom he said would not take NPP anywhere.

Opposition parties are engaging in coalition talks behind closed doors ahead of the 2018 watershed elections.

After last week’s brawl, Mawarire told journalists that Nyandoro did “not speak on behalf of NPP”.

Previously, Nyandoro had been quoted in the media as saying Mujuru was committed to the coalition.

– By ANA