Tell Reporter
Zanu PF factional fighting might be getting nasty in Masvingo with the latest development seeing Member of Parliament (MP) for Masvingo Urban constituency Dr Daniel Shumba announcing that he will not be associated with the party’s weekend victory celebrations in Mucheke stadium citing that the event is being organised along factional lines.
Shumba who is the first MP from Zanu PF to win the Masvingo Urban constituency seat since the formation of MDC-T has attacked party politburo member and Minister of Energy and Power Development Dzikamai Mavhaire for propping up factionalism in Masvingo.
“Let all progressive Zanu PF members know that their venerated MP Daniel Shumba will not attend that fake victory celebration to be held in Mucheke stadium on Sunday. The event was arranged clandestinely by people who continuously want to divide the party.
“I know that Mavhaire who is not an MP is mobilising councillors to bring people to the stadium but I urge those who want the development of their constituency to resist the move,” Shumba told Tell Zimbabwe .
Mavhaire could not be immediately reached for comment.
However, Shumba said if councillors wanted to have victory celebrations, they were free to do that in their wards.
“Councillors should be free to have their activities in their wards but they should approach me if they have a bigger event which they want to hold in my constituency, not to leapfrog and engage a senator behind my back.
“For the record, I killed over 20 beasts in the run-up to the 2013 elections as part of victory celebrations because I had already seen victory coming my way,” added Shumba.
Zanu PF Secretary for Information and Publicity for Masvingo , Goddard Dunira could not deny the existence of factions in his party but he was quick to say that celebrations would go ahead even if Shumba decides to boycott.
“Factions or differences might be there but let us not take them too far. I urge people to attend the celebrations because in any case Mavhaire is senior to Shumba. Who is Shumba to challenge Mavhaire? Shumba should be humble enough to approach Mavhaire and be included in the programme,” said Dunira.Politics