SANYATI, in Mashonaland West province, reportedly turned into a war zone this week as rival aspiring Zanu PF candidates bludgeoned each other ahead of the party’s primary elections set for tomorrow.
The violence in Sanyati follows more terror attacks that
rocked Chegutu West as rivals there also beat each other up in the run up to
the weekend primaries.
A video of one of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyers,
Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba, attacking supporters of Mines deputy minister
Polite Kambamura also emerged.
Kambamura is the sitting Sanyati Member of Parliament (MP),
who is being challenged by Magwaliba and Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor
Wadyajena’s younger brother, Tatenda.
NewsDay is reliably informed that some Zanu PF supporters
have reportedly abandoned their homes following the violence that flared up at
Kasirisiri business centre on Tuesday.
Two of the aspiring MPs for the Sanyati seat accused each
other of fomenting the violence when contacted for comment.
One of the victims, Beauty Jeremiah, who is the Zanu PF
Kasirisiri district chairperson, accused Magwaliba of sponsoring the violence.
“Magwaliba’s supporters have been going around threatening
to come during the night and abduct Kambamura’s supporters and some people are
now afraid of staying at their homes,” Jeremiah alleged.
According to Jeremiah, two teenage boys were stabbed for
refusing to chant Magwaliba’s slogans at a rally the aspiring MP was addressing
at Kasirisiri business centre on Tuesday.
“His (Magwaliba) supporters are threatening those who
support Kambamura, unleashing violence, while boasting that he is Mnangagwa’s
lawyer and that he will cause the release of his supporters who would have been
arrested,” Jeremiah said.
Magwaliba denied fuelling the violence, claiming he was
actually the victim.
He said four of his supporters were attacked by Kambamura’s
loyalists.
“One was chopped by an axe, another shot by a catapult,
while the other two were stoned. Kambamura’s supporters ambushed my supporters
as we tried to attend to someone they had axed and caused mayhem,” Magwaliba
said.
“I have not been retaliating. His supporters have been
threatening my supporters. I preach peace at my rallies. Our innocent supporter
was arrested and accused of assaulting Jeremiah. He has been released. All I
can say is that Kambamura has been sponsoring violence.”
Kambamura was not answering his mobile phone, despite
repeated efforts to contact him.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF has barred all aspiring candidates from
speaking to the media during the primary elections.
Addressing a provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in
Marondera, national political commissar Mike Bimha said: “As a party, this
time, we are saying no candidate is allowed to speak to the media. We have only
two people in the party who are allowed to comment, that is the party
spokesperson (Christopher Mutsvangwa) and director for information (Tafadzwa
Mugwadi).”
Also, Zanu PF secretary for transport and social welfare
and Local Government minister July Moyo have ordered aspiring candidates to
surrender constituency vehicles to the party or face disciplinary action.
“Following a resolution by the national elections
directorate, you are hereby instructed to immediately withdraw and pool all
Zanu PF party constituency vehicles allocated to your province in order to
enhance administration of the forthcoming Zanu PF party primary elections,”
Moyo said in a memo dated March 20.
“Additionally, all party officials, including provincial
chairpersons, provincial secretaries for the commissariat and party employees,
are prohibited from using official party vehicles during the forthcoming
primary elections. Such vehicles must be surrendered to the provincial command
centre under stewardship of the supervising politburo member for the duration
of the party’s primary elections.”
The primary elections were initially scheduled for last
week, but were called off at the last minute. Newsday
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