Dinyane was to be the coup de grace

The prize-giving ceremony at Dinyane School in Tsholotsho on 18 November 2004 was supposed to be the final stage of Phase One of a “smart coup” that would have seen ZANU-PF chairman John Nkomo and vice-President Joseph Msika being kicked out with Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, former Speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa and women’s leader Tenjiwe Lesabe coming in, the High Court in Bulawayo heard this week.

This was said during the defamation case in which former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo is suing Speaker John Nkomo and politburo member Dumiso Dabengwa for $2 billion.

The Dinyane meeting almost split the ruling ZANU-PF before its 2004 congress. Six provincial chairmen were suspended from the party while senior officials not suspended were demoted.

Believe Gaule, former district coordinating chairman for Tsolotsho, who said he was one of the key organisers of the meeting, said they had been told about the planned coup by John Nkomo at a meeting on 12 January last year.

He said Nkomo had called the meeting to try to resolve problems within the district because of the chaos that had been created by the Dinyane meeting, which saw several members, including himself and his vice, being suspended from the party without any explanation.

Gaule said Nkomo asked him to explain what had happened at Dinyane but rejected his explanation saying he was hiding something. Nkomo is then reported to have told the people that it appeared they were totally ignorant of what the meeting had been about.

Nkomo was reported to have told the people that the meeting was a culmination of several meetings that had taken place elsewhere including at Ntalale in Matabeleland South. Another meeting was scheduled for Nkayi with the Dinyane meeting being the final stage.

“This is what was supposed to happen,” Gaule said Nkomo told the people. “Nkomo out, Chinamasa in, Msika out, Mnangagwa in, Tenjiwe Lesabe in.”

Gaule said Nkomo had told the people that Jonathan Moyo was just being used. The aim, besides finally forcing Mugabe out, was to destroy ZAPU.

Gaule said Dumiso Dabengwa had told the people that he came from Tsholotsho and grew up there. He was therefore disheartened to see the district torn apart.  Dabengwa comes from Insiza.

“I must confess that Dabengwa is my hero, but I have to say what he said about professor Moyo,” Gaule said.

He said Dabengwa had said he was the one who invited Moyo from South Africa to join the constitutional commission but he now regretted having done that because Moyo had been dishing money in what appeared to be development projects in Tsholotsho when he was actually planning a “smart coup”.

Dabengwa is even reported to have asked the people whether they knew where the money Moyo was dishing out came from and asked those who had received money to own up. One person said he had been given $1 million.

Gaule said others started denouncing Moyo with one woman, a Mrs Bhebhe, even saying though people had been so crazy about Jonathan Moyo that some were reported to have printed his name on their underpants, he was up to now good.

The case, which is likely to drag on for days, continues. Some observers say it’s not worth the money being put into it.

Posted-19 May 2006

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