Zanu-PF has determined that former public service minister Prisca Mupfumira, who earlier used insanity to avoid being tried for stealing US$95 million from a pension fund, is qualified to compete for a seat in Zimbabwe’s parliament.
In order to retain her position in elections later this year, the present Makonde senator earned a party ticket.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power in 2017, fired Mupfumira, who had been chosen by former President Robert Mugabe to the high position.
Mnangagwa charged the lawmaker with “conduct inappropriate for a Government Minister” in a statement announcing her dismissal 2019.
This was after the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) had arrested and charged the politician for diverting state pension funds to finance her political campaigns and to fund a relative’s lavish wedding.
She was also ignominiously thrown out of the politburo.
Just when many thought her world was collapsing around her, Mupfumira made a surprise comeback into the party’s Central Committee via the December 2022 polls.
During her criminal abuse of office trial over funds embezzlement, Mupfumira claimed she could not stand trial anymore as she was suffering mental illness.
She claimed she was suffering from depression and requested time to also recover physically, claiming she had just undergone a medical operation.
However, by giving her thumbs up, Zanu-PF violated its own vows not to allow party officials facing criminal charges to run for polls on party tickets.
Addressing the media last month, Zanu-PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa said the ruling party approved all CVs from those who were aspiring to contest in the internal polls except where a candidate faced criminal or violence charges.
Mutsvangwa said “there is zero tolerance against tolerance and violence” in the party.
In a social media comment, outspoken journalist Hopewell Chin’ono said by clearing Mupfumira to contest as a lawmaker, Zanu-PF was living up to its “criminality” tag.
“What more do you need to see to know that criminality is the main ingredient to rise in ZANUPF!
“Prisca Mupfumira presided over the looting of over US$100 million leaving pensioners destitute,” he said.
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