TWO Zanu PF legislators, Joseph Chinotimba (Buhera South)
and his Buhera West counterpart Oliver Mandipaka, nearly traded blows before an
extraordinary provincial co-ordination committee meeting in Mutare on Sunday as
factional fights continue to haunt the ruling party.
Tempers flared when Mandipaka confronted Zanu PF central
committee member Soul Nzuma, who is reportedly eyeing his seat, and labelled
him a sellout.
Mandipaka, a suspected ally of President Emmerson
Mnangagwa, accused Nzuma of conniving with under-fire Manicaland Provincial
Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene to wrest his parliamentary seat.
Chimene, who is reportedly holed up in Mozambique following
the recent ouster of former President Robert Mugabe and his G40 acolytes, was
leading the campaign for the purge of all suspected Mnangagwa allies.
“You used to take notes for Mandiitawepi Chimene, you were
his spy, you wanted to kick me out of the party and see what has happened? I am
not happy with what you have been doing,’’ Mandipaka said, a charge Nzuma
described as false.
“What you are saying is not true and I don’t know how you
got that information,’’ Nzuma said before Chinotimba intervened in the verbal
showdown, but failed to restrain Mandipaka.
“Mandipaka, please, listen to me. If you don’t want to
listen to me, then this issue will remain unresolved,’’ Chinotimba said as
Mandipaka threatened to name and shame “sellouts in our midst”.
Mandipaka was among 39 senior party members who were
recently shortlisted for expulsion for aligning themselves with the Mnangagwa
camp.
Chinotimba is a suspected G40 functionary. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment