UNDER-FIRE MDC Renewal Team treasurer-general Elton Mangoma has blamed factional fights within his party for his woes after he was brutally attacked by party youths on Tuesday for allegedly bedding the wife of a party official.
Mangoma also revealed that his relationship with the party’s secretary-general Tendai Biti had deteriorated and two distinct camps had emerged within the Renewal group.
The former Energy minister denied allegations that he committed adultery with Yemurai Maravanyika, the wife of Renewal provincial youth leader Believe Tevera.
“The relationship with Biti has not been that cordial as I would like it to be,” he said after he was questioned on allegations that the two were discrediting each other as they angle for the party’s presidency.
Listen to Mangoma below:
Although admitting that he met Maravanyika three times at public functions, Mangoma denied other allegations that he committed adultery with Tevera’s wife.
He said there was a coordinated plot to tarnish his name.
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“Frivolous and concocted allegations have been levelled against me in the last days,” Mangoma told journalists in Harare.
“I wish to state categorically that I deny the allegations.
“I am a principled family man and mentor and will continue to be so for the rest of my life.
“I believe that leadership starts at the family unit cascading up to the national level.”
Mangoma said he was disturbed by the use of violence against him on Tuesday saying the main reason why he left the MDC-T was manifesting again in the Renewal formation.
“I am particularly worried about the complicity of some of my colleagues in the party in arranging and coordinating the violence,” he said.
“It is sad that some people would want to score cheap political points at the expense of people’s lives and through the use of young and vulnerable youths.”
But on Tuesday, youths aligned to Mangoma reportedly assaulted Tevera at the party’s Eastlea offices after earlier threatening the former student leader for allegedly divulging the alleged affair to the media.
Two more trucks were reportedly dispatched to Tevera’s Glen View home at night forcing Tevera to take refuge at a police station.
Mangoma said there were other people who were still committed to the Mendel declaration whereby they have to go through a congress while others are pushing for negotiations with the ousted former Zanu PF members commonly referred to as Zanu People First.
Mangoma said the source of confusion was emanating from unsanctioned officials who wanted to forgo the Mendel declaration to enter into partnership with Zanu People First.
Efforts to get a comment from Biti were fruitless as his mobile was unreachable.
