Politburo fuels Zanu PF Masvingo fire

Upenyu Chaota

25 March 2017, MASVINGO – The Zanu PF politburo’s order for a rerun of the Masvingo provincial chairperson elections has inflamed tensions between Team Lacoste and G40, with the belligerent factions becoming increasingly vocal in their desperate attempts to bury each other.
The elections were held last month with suspected Team Lacoste functionary Ezra Chadzamira taking a wide lead against his alleged G40 nemesis Rtd Colonel Mutero Masanganise.
The elections were however aborted midway and results suspended because of alleged irregularities and the failure to vote by many districts due to floods.
This has, however, infuriated Team Lacoste apparatchiks who feel they were denied a clear victory and are being undermined by a treacherous G40 faction.  
Both factions called for separate meetings last Saturday and savaged each other while trying to give their respective gatherings an aura of respectability and legitimacy.
Team Lacoste converged at Masvingo Polytechnic and called their gathering a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting which was to be addressed by hitherto acting chairperson Jorum Gumbo while G40 congregated at Flamboyant Hotel.
Gumbo did not turn up for the Lacoste gathering which was then chaired by provincial secretary for administration Ailes Baloyi flanked by party chief whip Lovemore Matuke, Mwenezi East by election candidate Joosbi Omar, deputy secretary for legal affairs in the politburo; Paul Mangwana, Provincial Affairs minister Shuvai Mahofa and her Psychomotor counterpart Josaya Hungwe.
Although the main agenda at the Lacoste meeting was the Mwenezi East by-election, tempers flared after a G40 petition calling for the expulsion of Mahofa and Hungwe was produced.
Signatories to the petition reportedly include Masvingo Urban legislator Daniel Shumba and provincial political commissar Jeppy Jaboon.
Mangwana threatened to drag all signatories to the petition to the High Court for defamation.
“They have to prepare themselves because we will not let this go unchallenged. I will personally see to it that they will each have their day in court. Ngavatsvage lawyer rinogona kundidarika,” fumed Mangwana.
Mahofa also lashed out at G40 saying the faction was out to cause unnecessary commotion and confusion in the province.
“Musatamba nemusangano weZanu PF. Kana wada kubuda buda zvakanaka and we will not follow you. Do not worry us with petty issues. This province is different from other provinces and we want what Masvingo wants. We do not want gossipers in this province; there simply is no room for them,” said Mahofa.
Across the road, the rival meeting was being chaired by provincial vice chairperson and suspected G40 minion Amasa Nhenjana flanked by Jaboon, provincial youth league boss Nobert Ndaarombe, women’s league leader Veronica Makonese, central committee member Jefreys Murire and Rtd Col Masanganise.
Faction members said they had embarked on a massive structures audit at grass roots level to get rid of ‘fake structures engineered to rig the elections in favour of Chadzamira.’
They took turns to savage Mahofa and Hungwe, appealing to President Robert Mugabe to fire them from the party.
“Mahofa and Hungwe do not like the President. They are leading a faction determined to usurp power from the President and they should be stopped. They rigged the elections and they think we are going for a rerun without auditing the structures. We are not doing that.
“As for Mangwana who thinks he can sue us, he should stay away from whiskey and other intoxicating substances. It is within our rights to petition. He is not a good lawyer after all,” thundered Jaboon.
Mahofa and Hungwe were also accused of using presidential inputs to campaign for Chadzamira, with Makonese asking for a chance to deal with Mahofa.
“Ini ndinofumura. Nditenderei tigadzirise munhu uyu anetsa. Tinoda kumugadzirisa isu seWomen’s League,” said Makonese.
Masanganise also weighed in saying he had not contested against Chadzamira in February but had instead contested against Hungwe whom he accused of using Chadzamira to front his own selfish interests.
“Let me make it clear that I was not contesting against Chadzamira but Hungwe. He is the one who wants to control the province,” said Masanganise.
Ndaarombe also declared that it was now a bare-knuckle fight against Team Lacoste.politics,topnews