Leaders of the shadowy Upfumi Kuvadiki clashed in public yesterday as rival factions almost came to blows over the ownership of the group, which claims to be campaigning for the economic empowerment of youths.
A faction aligned to Alson Darikayi had called for a Press conference to address the issues of youth empowerment at Harare Club when a rival camp stormed in and announced the meeting should not go ahead.
Darikayi was half way through his speech when his rivals ordered a stop to the proceedings. The rival group led, by its secretary general Tatenda Maroodza, said Darikayi was the spokesperson of the organisation and not its president.
Maroodza said the president was Pedzisai “Scott” Sakupwanya.
When Sakupwanya later joined his colleagues, his loyalists pulled down the banners that were on the walls alleging that Darikayi and his group had stolen the banners.
Others shouted that the group failed to display the banners at President Robert Mugabe’s birthday last month because Darikayi had stolen them.
They also alleged Darikayi was co-opted into the organisation as its spokesperson because of his relations with the media.
But an unperturbed Darikayi kept urging journalists to stay and apologised before proceeding with his speech.
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His faction later accused its rivals of promoting rowdy behaviour.
Darikayi sneaked out of the conference room as Maroodza, Sakupwanya and youths loyal to them said they would not allow the Press briefing to continue. Before the disruption, Darikayi said his movement was ready to take over Easipark, a joint venture between a South African company and the City of Harare.
He also said foreigners of African origin currently doing business in retail and wholesale sectors should sell part of the equity to indigenous Zimbabweans.
Darikayi accused CABS of failing to empower youths financially through a fund set up under a deal with Old Mutual.
After a mobile phone conversation, Maroodza was heard saying the police would be moving into the premises to stop the gathering.
Darikayi said: “We can’t meet with rowdy, illiterate and psychologically bankrupt individuals.
“There are people who were ousted at a legally constituted election, but who now want to claim otherwise.
“This has put our empowerment drive into chaos, but we will fight to restore sanity to the organisation.
“As for Tatenda Maroodza, I don’t know what his problem is as he was the presiding officer during the elections.”
Sakupwanya, who claims to be the president of the Zanu PF-linked lobby group, said Darikayi had no grounds to claim to be the legitimate leader of the group. “What Alson is doing is not good. He is a spokesperson of the group, but he goes around claiming that he is the president,” he said.
“He should not go around masquerading as the leader.
“We should sit down and talk about these issues. In fact we no-longer want him to be part of the organisation.”
