President Robert Mugabe has opened up and explained how he selected Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko among a number of contenders who were vying for the job.
In an interview on ZTV’s programme “Reflections at 91” to mark his 91st birthday, President Mugabe said he engaged in wide consultations before reaching the decision to appoint VP Mphoko.
He said he always consults before making decisions.
VP Mphoko was appointed along with VP Emmerson Mnangagwa as the two Vice-Presidents after the 6th Zanu-PF national People’s Congress in December last year.
In the run up to the congress, there were a number of senior party officials who had shown interest in the Vice-Presidency post reserved for former PF-Zapu cadres.
Among the contenders were VP Mphoko, former Zanu-PF national chairman and now secretary for information and publicity Mr Simon Khaya Moyo, Home Affairs Minister Mr Kembo Mohadi and retired Brigadier General Ambrose Mutinhiri.
“When Mphoko finally got hitched and when we appointed him, I had listened to lots of views from the people. Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, I was asking them and making comparisons,” said President Mugabe.
“Some thought Khaya was going to get it, others said Khaya has no real history of the struggle. Some came in saying Mohadi, I talked to Mohadi, I talked to Mphoko, I talked to SK, I talked to Msipa, all those from the Zapu side and finally to me the man who had a good record in the past and a record which sustained his drive up to the end was Mphoko.”
President Mugabe said after talking to the contenders and wide consultations, the race was narrowed down to Cde Mohadi and VP Mphoko.
“It was Mphoko versus Mohadi. Mohadi when I asked him, he said Mphoko yes I agree, his instructor at one time but he said now he is Ambassador and I’m a Minister who has more experience, it’s what he said,” said the President.
“I told Khaya that no he was viewed by many as part of the gamatox thing, that he was very close to Mutasa and Mai Mujuru but we couldn’t just dump everybody, others we want to give a chance, we gave them a chance but we abolished the chairmanship as it was.
“One of the Vice-Presidents will be chairman of the party and that’s how we used to have it in the past anyway, we then brought the chairmanship at the time we signed our December 1987 Agreement, Unity Agreement when we said (the late Dr Joshua) Nkomo was now Vice-President.”
President Mugabe said it was decided that the late Vice-President Mr Joseph Msika who at the time deputised Dr Nkomo in PF-Zapu, was made chairperson of the united Zanu-PF, a post which did not exist before the Unity Accord.
“Although when we found it, Zanu-PF, we had made (the late Herbert) Chitepo the chairman of the party, but we lost it in 1977 when we discussed in Chimoio the restructuring and revival of the party after the boys who had been arrested in Zambia were released”. -chronicle