Wilbert Mubaiwa Biography | Career | Political Career | Clash With Zanu-PF | 2018 Elections
Wilbert Mubaiwa is a Zimbabwean politician known for his active involvement in the country’s political landscape. He gained prominence on 23 April 2022 when he launched his own political party, the National People’s Congress (NPC). Prior to this, Mubaiwa was associated with Joice Mujuru’s party.
Career
Mubaiwa’s career has seen him in various roles, including serving as the director of project implementation at the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ). Additionally, he has held the position of Managing Director (MD) at Sunway City, where he made significant contributions to the organization’s operations.
In July 2018, Mubaiwa faced a significant event when he was dismissed from the Zimbabwe National Army by Perrance Shiri.
Politics
Wilbert Mubaiwa’s involvement in politics has been eventful. He was a member of Joice Mujuru’s party, the National People’s Party (NPP), during which he held the position of Secretary-General. However, he eventually left the party after facing suspension. In a bold move, he even expelled the NPP from his Avondale property.
Mubaiwa’s resignation from Mujuru’s party was fueled by his belief that the party had deviated from democratic principles, resorting to candidate imposition, political bullying, and dictatorial tendencies. He was set to appear before the party’s national disciplinary committee to address the allegations against him but chose to resign before the hearing could take place.
2018 Elections
During the party’s primary elections, Mubaiwa campaigned under a Zanu-PF ticket. However, he faced disqualification by the national elections directorate due to his past association as a Mujuru loyalist. Undeterred, Mubaiwa then decided to run as an independent candidate in the 2018 harmonized elections for the Guruve South parliamentary seat. Unfortunately, his bid was unsuccessful, resulting in a loss.
His campaigning activities with Zanu-PF were not without controversy, as he clashed with the party over the usage of Emmerson Mnangagwa‘s pictures in his campaign material. Accusations of hijacking Zanu-PF activities further intensified the tensions.
Formation of the National People’s Congress (NPC)
On 23 April 2022, Wilbert Mubaiwa took a decisive step in his political journey by establishing the National People’s Congress (NPC). He revealed that the party would be represented by blue and purple colour codes.
Zanu-PF Lawsuit
In 2018, Mubaiwa, alongside Oswell Ndumo Gwanzura, faced a lawsuit from Zanu-PF for using Emmerson Mnangagwa’s image on their T-shirts and campaign posters. The party sought an order to interdict Mubaiwa from printing and distributing campaign materials bearing Mnangagwa’s face and slogans like “#ED Has My Vote” and “#ED Pfee”. The lawsuit alleged that his actions could prejudice the party if not halted.
