BULAWAYO - Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa says some Zanu PF stalwarts are begging him to return to the party to fill the post of vice president following the death of Vice President John Nkomo.

Nkomo died last month, resulting in a dog fight between Zanu PF stalwarts eyeing the now vacant position.

Dabengwa would have been the top contender for the vacant seat due to his seniority, but he, along with his former Zipra colleagues, left the “marriage of convenience” with Zanu PF to revive the old Zapu.

Dabengwa says his “friends” in Zanu PF begged him to return to his old party as they believe the former Zipra intelligence supremo is fit for the post.

“During the funeral of the late Vice President in Harare, I had quite a number of friends and colleagues from Zanu PF who immediately after they saw me said ‘come back, that position should be yours — you made a mistake come back’,” Dabengwa said.

But the liberation war intelligence guru and former Home Affairs minister ruled out any possibility of a return to Zanu PF as his party would not allow him to do so.

“I said to them go and ask Zapu. I don’t make political decisions. I am merely a servant of Zapu.

“I cannot make a decision to go back to Zanu PF, I don’t think Zapu would allow that,” the soft spoken former Zanu politburo member said.

Dabengwa said those still masquerading as former Zapu members in the so called “Unity Accord should not fool themselves as the real Zapu broke away from the December 22, 1987 Unity Accord.

“Zapu is out of the unity accord and we don’t have any Zapu remaining in there, we did not think it served its purpose anymore and that’s why we walked out of that unity accord. Those former members of Zapu who remained there represent themselves not Zapu anymore,” Dabengwa said.

The race for the vacant vice president’s seat is at its hottest, with Zanu PF chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo and minister of Mines, Obert Mpofu seen as favourites for the post. - Nyasha Chingono