… As candidates deface each other’s campaign posters

Beverly Bizeki

It is a dog-eat-dog situation in Masvingo West ward 2 by-election campaign as three of the four contesting candidates are embroiled in a bitter battle, accusing each other of tearing each other’s campaign posters.
The three candidates involved include the recalled Ward councilor and former Mayor Shantiel Chiwara, former councilor for the same ward Roki Kamuzonda, both contesting under the CCC banner, and Zanu PF candidate Benson Hwata.
Chiwara is accusing Kamuzonda of sending his kid to deface her posters and on the other side Hwata is also accused of having done the same in one of the streets, where he is said to have passed through during the Zanu PF campaign launch.
Speaking to TellZim News, Chiwara, denied ever tearing any candidate’s posters and said she was instead a victim in the situation and had replaced her posters thrice in the current the campaign period.
Chiwara was accused of sending his brother to tear Kamuzonda’s posters around the ward.
“My team and I have never torn nor deface any poster and we have no intention to do that, in fact, it’s me who is a victim of that and right now I am replacing my posters for the third time but his (Kamuzonda) are still there in the street I stay.
“Hwata also defaced my posters as he prepared for their (Zanu PF) rally and wanted his leaders to see his posters. They destroyed all my posters in Calvin Majange Street and placed his.
“Roki is the one who is responsible for tearing my posters inside the streets, kwete zvekuti ndozomuka asipo (not that I wake up to find them destroyed) he does it in everyone’s presence as people even call our team to notify us of his actions together with his son so that is what is happening where he placed his posters; they are still there and are actually discoloring to show nothing happened to them,” said Chiwara.
On his part, Kamuzonda said he too was a victim and accused Chiwara’s brother Hillary and team of destroying his posters saying he caught them in the act.
“The campaign is going well but the only challenge I am facing is that of my posters are being defaced by Hillary Chiwara (Shantiel’s brother) and his team. This shows they are panicking and are afraid of me. If I was not a threat, there was no need to deface my posters,” said Kamuzonda.
He said it was a lie that his son was destroying his rival’s posters and dared Chiwara to provide proof if it was true and said his son was too young to be involved in such political madness.
“If they have proof they can bring it out; is my son able to place posters over there? Madumeja naOsy mwana waVaSiniya naHilary ndovari kubvarura evamwe proof iripo pedo nekumba kwavo pasnooker (Chiwara’s team are the ones doing that and there is proof closer to their home. Today I saw them tearing my posters too,” said Kamuzonda.
Responding to allegations of defacing other candidates’ campaign posters, Zanu PF candidate Benson Hwata said it was not true and said he too was a victim.
“There is nothing like that, kungoda kuisvibisa vamwe, vanenge varikudamburirana pachavo. I will send you anguwo akadamburwa so ndototi ndivo. (It is just mud-slinging, I think they are doing it amongst themselves, my posters have been torn too and I can say it is them),” said Hwata.
Ward 2 fell vacant in October after CCC’s self-imposed Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu recalled Chiwara and several others across the country.
Chiwara and Kamuzonda are both representing CCC with Kamuzonda being reportedly Tshabangu’s front runner whilst Chiwara is alleged to belong to the party leader Nelson Chamisa’s faction.
Chamisa’s team has since deployed the party’s director in the organising department Farai Chinobva to declare Chiwara the official candidate.
However, questions have been raised on Chinobva’s interests in the ward as he was there during the primaries prior to the August 23 election.
He was there when Chiwara was elected Mayor and was back again to launch her by-election campaign.
The fourth candidate, Frank Chirairo was dropped by CCC in the primaries despite having commanded a bigger following than others during the bereka mwana voting system, where supporters of each candidate stood behind their favourite and the one with more people became the winner.

… As Zanu PF takes over council chairmanship

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-There was drama last week at Chiredzi Town Council Boardroom where the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councilors chased all stakeholders from a special full council meeting to elect a new town chairperson only to boycott the same meeting.
The chairperson’s post fell vacant after self-anointed CCC Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu’s recalls axe struck council chair Roger Chikonye and another councilor Musingashari Musingashari.
The remaining three CCC councilors Danford Chikanyanu, Philemon Muchaendepi and Gift Chigidi arrived late for the meeting and influenced the ejection of other stakeholders including journalists who wanted to cover the election but they later on boycotted the same meeting.
Muchaendepi argued that a special full council meeting was supposed to be attended by councilors and management.
“Chair, what does the law say on special full council meetings? We are not here to give amendments to that law but to apply it. A special full council meeting is only attended by councilors and council management, meaning all those who do not fall in that category should recuse us,” said Muchaendepi.
The meeting which was chaired by Jameson Charumbira in his capacity as vice chair, came barely five days after the recall of the two councilors.
TellZim News was reliably informed that the three councilors later on boycotted the election seeing they were outnumbered by Zanu PF with five councilors and they also argued that the management had no capacity to convene a special full council meeting but the chair if councilors raised motions that needed urgent attendance in form of writing.
However, Zanu PF’s Charumbira who was vice chair was elected council chair while Liberty Macharaga was nominated vice, and since there was no opposition, the two who had once clashed for the same post before were nominated and seconded by their fellow Zanu PF councilors, Vimbai Ushe, Sekai Njanjure and Charles Njopera.
Tshabangu’s recalls came as a relief for Zanu PF in Chiredzi Town Council to retain the Chairmanship post which was lost in 2018 after one Zanu PF councilor had sold out by voting for Gibson Hwende (MDC Alliance) as Chairperson from 2018-2023 while Roger Chikonye (CCC) was elected as Chairperson through tossing after the 2023 harmonized elections after a five all stalemate since the two parties had equal number of candidates.