HARARE – Expelled Zanu PF central committee member Daniel Shumba has lashed out at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration, labelling it “corrupt, partisan and power hungry.”
Shumba — once viewed as a Mnangagwa ally — is set to launch his new party, which will challenge the newly-appointed leader in the forthcoming elections.
“Yes I am (running for president),” Shumba told the Daily News affirming his presidential bid.
“I know that my truth causes discomfort to some, but I give it anyway…Zimbabwe’s economic agenda is captured and the nation is being misled, misinformed, and fooled by a group of partisan, corrupt and power hungry tribalists.”
It will be the second time that Shumba forms an opposition political party after his United People’s Party (UPP) in 2006.
His move comes after he, together with five other Zanu PF provincial chairpersons, were suspended over the Tsholotsho debacle that sought to block the elevation of Joice Mujuru to vice president in 2004.
Shumba initially resigned from politics in October 2009 to focus on business, before retracing his footsteps to Zanu PF after dissolving UPP.
He again finds himself outside Zanu PF after the December 2017, extraordinary congress resolved to expel him for his political association with the deposed Generation 40.
Shumba said the current administration lacked inclusivity and continued to target and persecute government officials linked to deposed Robert Mugabe.
He tore into Mnangagwa saying: “To start with, a national economic programme cannot be driven or owned by a cabal of vengeful people. We have to embrace the totality of nationals and strive to unlock true value for the broader good in an open, transparent, and manner that is based on merit.”
“Cosmetic statements meant to look good and impress the West will only allow for very temporal relief with no sustainable gratification. The real economic challenges ought to be dealt with firmly and without the personalisation of projects or transactions. Opportunities must save national interest above all. The selling off of assets disguised as investment must not be allowed. Perpetuation of the current litany of illegal transactions must be stopped.”
Shumba also lashed out at Mnangagwa’s three-month moratorium for individuals and corporates that externalised money and assets to bring them back.
He said the amnesty, which ends on February 28, 2018, was all smoke and mirrors aimed at hoodwinking the public.
