Staff ReporterBy Daniel Chigundu
Youth-based opposition party Viva Zimbabwe says it has expelled its founding chairman Acie Lumumba for berating other opposition parties and also because of his intentions to rejoin Zanu PF.
In the past weeks, Lumumba has been associating himself with the Emmerson Mnangagwa-led Zanu PF via his posts on social media, prompting the party’s supporters and the generality of Zimbabweans to question his allegiance to the Viva Zimbabwe.
In a facebook-live video, Viva Zimbabwe spokesperson Patson Mashingaidze said the party’s executive sat down on Thursday to discuss the issues and made a decision to expel Lumumba.
“Am sure you have seen some posts on social media and have been asking questions as to what’s going on with Acie Lumumba.
“The executive sat down last Thursday to discuss the issue of chairmanship of Viva Zimbabwe and came out with a unanimous agreement to expel and divorce itself from Acie Lumumba publicly and with immediate effect,” he said.
Mashingaidze added that in the absence of the fired Lumumba “I will be currently taking on the position of interim chairman until the executive has sat down again to make deliberations on way forwards, but our direction is a steady opposition, that encompasses the youths and demography of those that want to be part of the Zimbabwe we need to build,” he said.
He also took the opportunity to urge the party’s supporters not be distracted by the recent developments adding that Viva Zimbabwe is still the young political party fighting for political space for the young people of Zimbabwe.
Mashingaidze said getting jobs and prosperity for the young people of Zimbabwe is still Viva Zimbabwe’s mission and there is no stopping until it is achieved adding that the party is not a mickey-mouse operation but is full of hardworking young people and it’s in good hands as it scales for greater heights.
According to Mashingaidze, Viva Zimbabwe pledges to facilitate and be the vehicle for young people who have political interest especially in 2018 elections and that it will continue to fight for political space for the young youths who want to be part of the political dispensation.
Viva Zimbabwe said youth political inclusion is at the top of what it stands for and that young people should come and join it as such opposition parties as MDC-T are now led by old people and are losing relevance in as far as the needs for the youths are concerned.
This article first appeared at Openparly
