THE forthcoming Zanu PF primary elections have exposed the chaos rocking President Robert Mugabe’s own backyard as protesters from Zvimba North and two other constituencies besieged the party’s headquarters yesterday, demonstrating against the imposition of candidates by senior officials. REPORT BY SENIOR REPORTER
Zvimba is Mugabe’s home area where daggers are drawn between the sitting MP and Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo and his ex-wife Marian as they intensify their fight to represent the constituency on the party’s ticket.
Zanu PF yesterday subsequently postponed the holding of primary elections.
“The Zanu PF primary elections to be held on Monday 24 June 2013 throughout the country have been postponed to Wednesday 26 June 2013. Provincial elections directorate are directed to meet on Sunday 23 June 2013 to review and consider any complaints on nominations and submit their reports to the national elections directorate on Monday 24 by 4pm,” Simon Khaya Moyo, the party’s nationalchairman, said.
About 300 people from three constituencies — Zvimba North, Mhangura and Goromonzi West — demonstrated against the imposition of sitting MPs Ignatius Chombo, Douglas Mombeshora and Beater Nyamupinga respectively.
This followed another protest on Thursday when disqualified aspiring MPs reportedly stormed Zanu PF headquarters seeking redress.
Placard-waving supporters of Chombo’s ex-wife, Marian, yesterday demonstrated over her disqualification.
Some of the placards read: “Gushungo pindirai (President Mugabe please intervene); Toda Marian Chombo (We want Marian Chombo); Bring us development; Mayouth anoda amai (Youths want (Marian)).
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Zanu PF prospective candidates submitted their CVs last weekend ahead of primary elections on Monday, but Marian’s CV was reportedly not considered because of a “missing page”.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Marian’s spokesperson Tendai Chinzou said her supporters were unhappy because Chombo wanted to sideline his ex-wife.
“It’s dirty politics. They are trying to sideline Marian Chombo who is the one with the grassroots support in the constituency,” Chinzou said.
“We have people from 11 districts from Zvimba North constituency who have come to submit their petition against the ruling which said Marian should not contest against Ignatius Chombo. Also, there are people from Mhangura and people from Goromonzi with their own separate stories. For the past 18 years, people from Zvimba North have been complaining that our MP has done completely nothing and has never been challenged in any primary election, so this is new to him. That’s why he is trying to apply some dirty politics.”
Most of the demonstrators who spoke to NewsDay said they were unhappy with Chombo as he had failed to develop their area.
“We are tired of Chombo. We have had him for the past 18 years and we do not want him anymore. We are saying give us the candidate that we want,” Mercy Njanji from Katawa district in Zvimba North said.
Lazarus Mutenga, also from Zvimba North, said: “We no longer want Chombo because he has not brought us any development. We are still where we were in 1980 and so, we are saying we no longer want him. We want (Zanu PF chairman) Simon Khaya Moyo or even the President (Mugabe) to address us on this issue because they cannot tell us that the candidate we want cannot contest.
“There is no development in Ward 16 where I come from. We do not have stands, mothers and sons-in-law live in crammed small places and we have nowhere to stay. We are tired of the previous MP, now we want Marian Chombo for a change,” Sandram Mhlanga, another party supporter from Zvimba North, said.
Musician Energy Mutodi, who until his disqualification was vying to represent Zanu PF in Goromonzi West, had supporters carrying his picture and placards reading: “We want Cde Mutodi; Mutodi ndizvo (Mutodi is the way to go)”.
Addressing the demonstrators, Media and Information minister Webster Shamu said that if candidates did not meet the set minimum qualifications, their applications would not be considered.
Zanu PF requires that candidates vying for House of Assembly posts should be registered voters as well as be paid-up members who have served the party at district level for five years or more.
