PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE HONOURABLE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE, AND SECOND SECRETARY OF THE RULING PARTY, ZANU PF HONOURABLE DR. JOICE TEURAI ROPA MUJURU, TO THE CITIZENS OF ZIMBABWE. (UNEDITED)
MY fellow citizens and countrymen, each of you will no doubt have seen, read and or heard about what appears to be a relentless attack on my person in the public media.
I believe that I carry a national responsibility as Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and that it is my duty to stay above partisan politicking.
However, I have an equal obligation to you and His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe R. G. Mugabe, to only serve this nation, if I am and remain fit to do so.
I regret that certain persons have elected to make false, unsubstantiated, malicious, defamatory and irresponsible statements about me, solely for the purpose of engineering their wide spread publication in all forms of media across the world , and bringing the Ruling Party, Zanu PF (the Party), the Government and the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, into disrepute.
There has also been an unconstitutional call for my resignation and/or removal from BOTH Party and public office, on the spurious grounds that I am corrupt, a gossiper, demonic, jealous and divisive, inept and [that I am] unfit for consumption by flies and dogs.
In the interests of Party and in keeping with its established protocol, I have previously chosen not to issue any statements.
However today, the 16 November 2014, The Sunday Mail Newspaper, in its banner head line story, has accused me of treason.
I am accused of being involved in an attempt to overthrow the legitimate Zimbabwean Government led by His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of Zanu PF, and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces, R.G. Mugabe. This allegation which is wholly untrue and cannot go unchallenged, in the national interest.
Leaders are elected by the people to serve the people. I am an elected servant of people of Zimbabwe and as such I can only serve this country in any capacity, when elected by the people. Unbridled ambition, misplaced self-righteous adulation and hubris, offends the Lord, and can only lead to the ruin of the person (s), and the Party and therefore Government.
Whilst I personally believe that silence is golden, in the face of such unprecedented, systematic and coordinated attacks on a serving Vice President of our beloved Zimbabwe, I have been obliged to make this statement, for and on behalf of all current and future national leaders who may face the same problem in future.
I deny any and all the allegations of treason, corruption, incompetence, and misuse of public office being routinely made against me in The Herald and Sunday Mail Newspapers.
I have briefed my legal practitioners to take the necessary steps, at law, to restore my good reputation, political standing and dignity. I stand ready to defend myself before the Party, and in any court of law on any of the allegations made against me, at any time, in accordance with the laws of Zimbabwe.
To you my fellow citizens I say, that I, Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru, am here to serve the people of Zimbabwe, and the party ZANU PF, that I have always been a member of.
No amount of malicious, hurtful and false statements about me, my late husband, my family, children , associates or business interests (real or imagined) can deter me from the mission at hand, that is to assist His Excellency President R . G Mugabe in driving the social and economic programmes of his Government to successful fruition.
In so doing, I will forever be guided, by due process, and respect the Constitution of Zanu PF, and the Constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
I thank you, the people of Zimbabwe for your continued support.
DOCTOR JOICE TEURAI ROPA MUJURU
ISSUED UNDER MY SIGNATURE, AT HARARE ZIMBABWE
16 NOVEMBER 2014