Cephas
Shava
MWENEZI
–
The teacher-in-charge at Batanai Primary School in the Chingwizi area of
Mwenezi East has been arrested after carrying out an alleged fatal knife attack
on a Zanu PF branch chairperson during an altercation over the ruling party’s
District Coordinating Committee elections held last weekend.
Paurosi Mangoma was
arrested after he allegedly stabbed Batanai Ward 13 Zanu PF branch chairperson
Kennias Dizingirai in the chest, killing him on the spot.
When TellZim News
contacted him for comment, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner
Paul Nyathi could neither confirm nor deny the incident, saying he was out of
office.
However, sources privy
to the incident said the alleged murder occurred at Batanai business centre at
around 17:00hrs yesterday (December 11) evening.
It is said that a drunken
Mangoma joined a dispute between two Zanu PF supporters on one hand and
Dzingirai on the other.
The three are said to
have been disagreeing on the conduct of the DCC elections when Mangona joined
in.
“On election day,
some allegedly fraudulent ballots were rejected at the Chingwizi voting centre
and as the local branch chairperson, Dzingirai was mandated to keep those
ballots and turn over to party officials at Rutenga.
“However, some some
Zanu PF supporters forcefully took the ballot papers from Dzingirai, leading to
a dispute which saw the now deceased being fatally stabbed on the chest,” said
one source.
Others said Mangoma was
not even in local Zanu PF structures but he got hired by some party supporters who
wanted to have their way with the rejected ballots.
Like elsewhere, the DCC
elections in Mwenezi district were marred by disputes as well as allegations of
fraud and chicanery.
