Former deputy information minister Bright Matonga fired

Former deputy information minister, Bright Matonga, has been fired as ZANU-PF’s deputy spokesperson of the faction-ridden Mashonaland West province as his political star continues to fade. Matonga was shown the door due to failure to attend scheduled party provincial meetings.

The sacking, which brings to the fore the factional fights in President Robert Mugabe’s home province, comes a year after Matonga was left out of government at the formation of the inclusive government in February last year.

On Tuesday, Robbie Sikanyika who took over ZANU-PF’s chairmanship of Mashonaland West province after John Mafa was ousted following a vote of no confidence confirmed Matonga’s sacking.

“At the moment we do not have any one in that post. Matonga has absconded for more than three meetings and the constitution says he can no longer hold the position,” Sikanyika said.

Contacted for comment this week, Matonga said he was not aware of the latest development as nothing had been communicated to him.

But Mafa said Matonga had been deposed in purges that followed his sacking from the top provincial post.

Apart from Matonga, Mafa said the party’s entire Hurungwe District Coordinating Committee (DCC) as well as the chairperson and vice chairperson of the Kadoma DCC have also been booted out of office.

The axed chairman claimed that the majority of ZANU-PF members in the province are not happy with the direction the party was being steered towards by Sikanyika along with politburo members Ignatius Chombo, the Minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development and Webster Shamu, the Minister for Media, Information and Publicity.

“We are saying if we did something wrong lets go for elections. The people are the ones who must decide,” said Mafa.

“We would want this to be published in The Herald, but it does not come out because Shamu is blocking it.”

Shamu, who is thought to control the State media by virtue of being the Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, has previously denied allegations of abusing the State media to advance his political cause