Maridadi said that the people that were now showering praises at Mnangagwa had ditched him when it seemed that his political career was ending.
“What I know is that I was invited to a function three four days before Hon. Mnangagwa was dismissed as Vice President of this country. Most Members of Parliament sitting in this House were also invited. I was invited by a special invitation card because the owner of the company, I am friends with him.
“When I went to that function, despite the fact that more than 50 Members of Parliament of this House had been invited, there were only two Members of Parliament and I was only one of them from the Opposition. I stood there and looked around, there was not a single Minister to support the Vice President. There was not a single Member of Parliament. The only Member of Parliament who was there was Hon. Owen Ncube, I am going to mention him by name. Only Hon. Owen Ncube was the Member of Parliament there.
“As I was walking out, I said to one of them, aaah, ko vanhu hamusi kuzo supporter Vice President sei? Zvikanzi aaah, tovasuporterei ? Vane chiikowo ivava? “
Full contribution
HON. MARIDADI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I wish to thank the mover of the motion and the seconder, Hon. Rtd. Brig. Kanhanga. Madam Speaker, I rise here to debate this motion. I have gone through it very carefully and there are a number of issues that I want to raise. I think congratulations to His Excellency are in order for assuming the position of President of this Republic. Madam Speaker, if you look at this motion here, the first point is that; Acknowledging the Preamble of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which among other endeavours is to commit ourselves to build a united, just, prosperous nation founded on the values of transparency, equality, freedom, fairness and dignity of hard work.
We, as Zimbabweans must be dignified and we must be honest people. Those values are sacrosanct. If we look at events leading to the ascendancy of Hon. Mnangagwa, they make a very sad reading, if we are going to put it in a book. Madam Speaker, it was in this House that I rose to debate a motion on some issue. As I was debating that motion, I raised the point that it was not right for a sitting President to go to a public forum and insult his deputy. There was a chorus of disapproval from your right Madam Speaker. The Vice President I was talking about is none other than Hon. Dambudzo Mnangagwa, now the President. Actually, one of the Members of Parliament sitting to your right raised a point of order that I was no longer debating a motion but I was debating the President; yet they are the same people today who are falling over each other, congratulating Hon. Dambudzo Mnangagwa; the same person they were insulting two weeks earlier.
Madam Speaker, it was in this House, on this microphone, that I stood up to debate when Hon. Dambudzo Mnangagwa, as Vice President had been insulted at ZANU PF Headquarters. There was a chorus of disapproval from your right. They are the same people today who are standing up to say, he is a man of vision, where did the vision suddenly come from – [Laughter.] – [AN. HON. MEMBER: Vave natenzi wechipiri.] – Zimbabweans must not be…
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