Outgoing Gweru PA Chitiyo
Itai Muzondo in Gweru
GWERU – Outgoing Midlands Provincial Administrator (PA) Cecelia Chitiyo last week covertly warned her successor Aboit Maronge that the territory belonged to Team Lacoste, advising him not to act in any way that was inconsistent with the Zanu PF faction.
The ominous warning was made at a farewell party organised for Chitiyo at Cecil John Rhodes Primary School.
At the party, Chitiyo made an analogy of Gweru as a dam with still waters sheltering dangerous reptiles that eat anything which plays around.
“Muno muMidlands mune politics dzemo. The province can be likened to a dam that has still water; water that is clean and no one dares to drink from it. I am referring to that water that looks still but has strong under currents.
“Munoziva dziva riya rine rakati mwii rekuti kana mombe haimwi ipapo zvisinei nekuti mvura yacho yakachena. Vaya vakanoziva nzvimbo dzakadaro vanoziva kuti ukatambirapo unodyiwa nezviripasi. That is how I can describe politics in Midlands province,” Chitiyo said.
Chitiyo served as Midlands PA since 2016 before being reassigned to Mashonaland West in 2016.
She formally bid farewell to the Provincial Development Committee (PDC) which she said was full of hardworking and goal-oriented people.
“I can’t express how glad I was to work with this province especially the PDC. It was in this group that I realised unity brings more results than selfishness. People in the committee were also able to pull me up most times I felt weakened and tired. I will miss you,” Chitiyo said.
In a solidarity speech, Midlands PDC chairperson Chisairirwa Chibururu said he hoped to work with the new PA and continue the developmental work they started by Chitiyo.
Midlands has for long been referred to be a ‘Lacoste’/ ‘Ngwena’ stronghold, a Zanu PF faction allegedly fighting for Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed President Robert Mugabe.
The province is said to be his major support base despite repeatedly losing the Kwekwe parliamentary seat to the opposition before Chirumhanzu – Zibagwe was created as his safe haven.politics
