The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF Members of National Assembly have been urged not to de-campaign each other ahead of next year’s harmonised elections.
This follows an incident in which Deputy Minister for Information, Communication and Technology and Courier Service as well as Chipinge East legislator, Dr Win Mlambo was forced to abort a meeting in Checheche at the weekend after youths accused him of trespassing into another legislator’s constituency.
Irate Zanu-PF youths in Chipinge South constituency stormed the venue where the meeting was supposed to take place and barred Dr Mlambo and his entourage from entering the venue, accusing him of fomenting divisions in Chipinge District.
The youths accused Dr Mlambo of trying to establish his own centre of power in the district.
In an interview on Wednesday, Zanu-PF national political commissar, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, said the party would stand guided by the reports that would come from the district on what transpired on the day in question.
“He has no business going into other people’s constituencies. He should not destabilise fellow MPs’ constituencies. If he has a programme intended for an area that is outside his constituency, there are properly laid down procedures to follow that include informing the party leadership at provincial level right down to the district. As a party, we do not tolerate divisive tendencies. No.
“We cannot have an MP calling for a rally in another MP’s constituency without the knowledge of his counterpart. Even the purported issue of trying to unite the people from other parties is not done by an individual. The party and all its structures, especially in that area have to be aware. We will look into the matter as soon as we get reports from those on the ground,” said Cde Kasukuwere.
MP for Chipinge South, Cde Porusingazi was reportedly not aware of last Saturday’s meeting.
National secretary for transport and welfare as well the most senior Zanu-PF member in Manicaland, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri echoed Cde Kasukuwere’s sentiments, saying Dr Mlambo should have at least informed the local leadership.
“If the local MP (Cde Porusingazi) was not informed of the meeting, that was very wrong. In Zanu-PF we respect structures and that is the norm. I am a senior party member, but I just do not go out and address meetings in different areas without informing the party’s local leadership. I actually request the local leadership to grant me permission to address people in their area.
“If he had seen something wrong in that constituency, he should have made efforts to talk to the local leadership and they move as a district. In fact, people were right to react in the manner they did because what he (Dr Mlambo) did was senseless. It was just pointless.
“I think we will sit down and correct him. He is a colleague and should not be dividing people like that. As Zanu-PF, our message is of unity. It was bad for his to show such disrespect to a fellow MP,” said Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri.
Zanu-PF national youth league secretary for environment and tourism, Cde Betty Dhliwayo, said youths in Chipinge South were tired of Dr Mlambo’s waywardness.
“I think we have had enough of this waywardness by Dr Mlambo. The sad thing is that he uses the name of the First family, saying ‘I have been sent by the President and Dr Amai Mugabe’.
“He has been doing this since early last year. We cannot continue watching him destroy the party in Chipinge. He has been creating parallel structures by parcelling leadership positions to his own preferred cadres, some from the opposition.
“This is why we gathered and told him right in his face that he can go back to his constituency. He was not beaten, his car was not damaged, but we simply barred them from entering the intended venue of the meeting. I think it is high time the party leadership deals with Dr Mlambo once and for all. We are going for an election, yet someone is busy destroying where we would have built,” said Cde Dhliwayo.
Cde Porusingazi urged Dr Mlambo to concentrate more in gaining the wards he lost in the previous election than seeking to destabilise Chipinge South.
“He has been giving me problems for a long time now. My wish is for us to unite as Zanu-PF MPs. We have work to do to develop this country and find solutions to the challenges facing the nation. I do not believe in wasting energy on divisive programmes.
“I think it is not a secret that Chipinge East is one of the most underdeveloped constituencies in the country. Roads in his constituency are the worst. Therefore, Dr Mlambo has a lot of work to do in his own constituency before he can think of assisting other constituencies.
“We are from the same party and we should not be seen fighting each other like this. If indeed Dr Mlambo has forgotten geographical boundaries of our constituencies, it is unfortunate and I can only refer him to ZEC,” said Cde Porusingazi.
Contacted for comment, Dr Mlambo denied that the meeting was meant to de-campaign anyone.
He said the meeting was known right ‘from the State House to the province and district’.
“Why were you not there? If you were not informed, then you should be there this Friday. We are reconvening the meeting. It was organised by Retrievers of Hope and we intended to give financial aid to accident victims after that tragic accident that involved party supporters last year. Before I come back to your question, I hope you will not do it the NewsDay way. They phoned me for a comment, yet they had their own story which they had been given by people who had paid them to write falsehoods.
“It is a lie that the meeting was not known by party structures. The communication is there and evidence to that effect is there. Every other organ of the State was made aware of the meeting a week before.
“I was actually taken aback by police details who remained aloof when drunken youths barred us from having our rally. They just stood there and watched. If anything, the police took much effort in helping causing the abandonment of the rally. In any case, I am a deputy minister who can be at any place in the country and I do not see why I cannot be at Checheche.
“I am aware that these youths were sent by people who feared that they would be exposed. They received items and money on behalf of accident victims and diverted them into personal use. So these people feared that they would be exposed during that rally,” said Dr Mlambo.
Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chairman, Dr Samuel Undenge, said he was not aware of the meeting.
“I was not notified of the meeting. Our procedure in Zanu-PF is that if someone wants to hold a meeting outside his constituency, the MP of the area as well as the local party structures must be made aware,” said Dr Undenge.
