Col Claudious Makova
Itai Muzondo
BIKITA – As the specter political violence returns to Bikita West ahead of the constituency’s parliamentary by-election, Zanu PF National Political Commissar has reportedly accused two members of People First who were beaten at a food aid meeting of having gate-crushed a Zanu PF meeting.
This was revealed by ZimPF provincial chairperson, Claudious Makova who said Kasukuwere had phoned him blaming Struggle Nyahunda and Gurwe Tsvuru of provocation by coming to a purely Zanu PF function.
An unconvinced Makova, however, said Kasukuwere should have apologised instead of making baseless allegations.
“I am actually surprised. Kasukuwere called me when the story went viral in media circles but never really apologised. He instead accused Nyahunda and Tsvuru of gate-crushing their event but I told him there was nothing like that since the event was only a food distribution exercise.
“I was also surprised when he told me that the guys had gate-crushed a Zanu PF meeting but as I am fully aware that it was a food distribution program by a village head. I actually had to send those guys to the venue to monitor proceedings as it has become a norm that people who fail to produce registration slips are denied food aid,” Makova said.
Makova went on to reveal how Kasukuwere pleaded with him to return to Zanu PF.
“As he told me how much he also want peaceful elections; Kasukuwere persuaded me to come back to Zanu PF which I told him I would not do even in another life. Why would I go back to a party which has no people at heart?
“They have become unpopular to the extent that some of the youth they send to attack people defy their directives. It was only two young men who confronted my boys as the rest of them backed off. One of the attackers is an ex-convict and that defines the kind of people Zanu PF associates itself with,” Makova added.
The Community Tolerance, Reconciliation and Development Trust (Cotrad) earlier this year claimed that human rights violations in the province have gone up by 61 percent.
A thousand of its survey respondents indicated that the ruling Zanu PF, using security forces, traditional leaders and party youth, was violating human rights through unlawful arrests, violence and partisan food distribution.news
