The five suspended members are accusing Dabengwa of working against the interests of the revived party.
The five suspended members are former police provincial spokesperson Smile Dube, former airline boss Evans Ndebele, former Bulawayo councillor Charles Mpofu, Retired Colonel Ray Ncube, and Nhlanhla Ncube.
Mpofu, speaking on behalf of the five, accused Dabengwa of hoodwinking people into believing that he has left Zanu PF when in actual fact he was still working with them.
He said they were planning to oust Dabengwa at the party’s congress expected to be held in May this year.
“We have been watching developments in the party and what continues to incense us is the manner in which Dabengwa continues to be part and parcel of Zanu-PF,” Mpofu said.
“We have questioned him over his stance to remain in Zanu PF and he attends all funerals of former Zanu PF members and is not treated like someone who has left the party and we have discovered that he is part of plans to divide the people of Zimbabwe after successfully completing another Zanu PF project under the Mavambo/Kusile project.”
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Dabengwa has been under fire from party members since he was elected interim chairperson of Zapu during last year’s extraordinary annual conference.
Mpofu said party members have become suspicious of Dabengwa after he refused to address rallies saying he was not yet ready.
“What further surprises members is that when we organise rallies Dabengwa sends youths to disrupt the meetings and this shows that he is not interested in having Zapu becoming a strong opposition party and we will not have a leader like him so at the forthcoming congress we will go and campaign against him,” Mpofu said.
In response, Zapu spokesperson, Methuseli Moyo, said there was nothing amiss about what Dabengwa was doing and accused the suspended members of being bitter after their expulsion from the party.
“These are sour grapes from those expelled, everything in Zapu is in order and all members are happy except for the five suspended members,” Moyo said.
However, party sources told the Zimbabwe Independent this week that there were plans within the party to rope in Archbishop Ncube to take over from Dabengwa.
“There are plans to bring Archbishop Pius Ncube into the leadership of the party because many people feel that Dabengwa is not taking the party’s agenda forward,” said one party source.
The sources said those lobbying for Archbishop Ncube believe that the cleric commands a lot of respect in the country despite the sex scandals that he is alleged to have been involved in.
“Pius Ncube commands a lot of respect in the country, he has been outspoken against President Mugabe and has stood steadfast when attacked by the state for his position on human rights issues and many feel that with what he has been through in the last years he will take up the offer of leading Zapu,” said one source.
The sources said some of the party’s council of elders have threatened to resign in the coming weeks in protest against the way the party was being run.
The party spokesperson said members were free to campaign for any positions at the party congress and said he was not aware that Archbishop Ncube had been approached by some Zapu members.
“As a party we are not aware who is interested to contest which positions at the congress and everyone is free to contest any position but if anyone thinks that Pius Ncube can lead any party they are wrong and if Pius Ncube is elected to lead Zapu that would be the end of Zapu,” Moyo said.
He said Ncube was disgraced over the alleged sex scandal and those calling for him to lead the party were not serious.
However, efforts to contact Archbishop Ncube in Hwange, where he is now based, were fruitless.
Loughty Dube
