Brighton Chiseva
MASVINGO – The hangover from Zanu PF chaotic primary elections that were held in March are still haunting Masvingo province despite healing processes by the Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC), President Emmerson Mnangagwa was recently told.
Addressing party supporters at Mucheke Stadium at an interface rally duped ‘Meeting first time voters’, Zanu PF Masvingo Provincial Chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa told Mnangagwa that they were still facing challenges from other party members who were failing to accept the outcome of the elections.
Mavhenyengwa singled out two cases, one from Mwenezi West where Tafadzwa Masvayamwando-Shumba allegedly lost to incumbent Priscilla Zindari Moyo and will stand as an independent candidate as well as Gutu East where the George Vhengere won the primaries but was later disqualified and replaced by Benjamin Ganyiwa.
Mavhenyengwa said as a province they had done some healing processes to reconcile the losers and the winners
“As Masvingo we are united, however, we are having some problems over the recent primary elections with some who are yet to grasp how things are done in Zanu PF. There are some members who still think that going to primaries means they are the ones who should win. Some win, some lose, now some who lost are behaving like they are bigger than the party,”
“I say so because in Mwenezi West, one of our members who was in Central Committee and NCA is now standing as an independent candidate after losing. We however promise to show him that the power he had was because of Zanu PF and once you are no longer in the party, you no longer have people because they all belong to Zanu PF.
“We also have some who do not want to accept the outcome, like in Gutu East, one losing candidate is still arguing that he is the winner like he doesn’t know that if the party has declared one as the winner that’s final and tomorrow shall come and has another chance to contest again.
“However, in other areas they are accepting defeat and are coming back to work with the winners and if that continues, I want to assure you that we are going to give you all Masvingo’s 26 constituencies,” said Mavhenyengwa.
Mavhenyengwa also told Mnangagwa that cotton and sugarcane farmers were complaining over delays in receiving payments after delivering their produce and appealed to Mnangagwa to intervene.
“We have a complaint from cotton farmers in the province who are saying they are not getting payments in time from Cottco, as two months have passed now but they haven’t received their payments so we want you to know that your children are producing but there is a challenge in payments,”
“Another challenge is the usual one where the sugar processing company Tongaart Hulletts is still delaying in paying famers after delivering their cane. We once tried to solve the issue together with the Minister of State but up to now they haven’t signed agreements with famers,” said Mavhenyengwa, who is also a sugarcane farmer.
The interface was organized by Young Women for ED, one of the many forED affiliates, and was alleged to be a platform for the President to meet with first time voters who were drawn from across the country.
Also present was Mnangagwa’s Deputy Kembo Mohadi and National Political Commissar Mike Bimha.
