MANICALAND Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene on Thursday accused Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri of badmouthing her in briefings with President Robert Mugabe as Zanu PF factional wars escalate. BY KENNETH NYANGANI/CLAYTON MASEKESA
Chimene and Muchinguri are locked in a bitter war for the control of Manicaland following the ouster of Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa who controlled the province.
Muchinguri was recently accused of talking ill of the Provincial Affairs minister in a leaked audio tape that first exposed the dirty wars haunting the party in the province.
Chimene told journalists in Mutare that she was ready to open a “can of worms”.
“As senior as she is, you hear her on the disc saying I have a crocodile smile (sic). I am not sure if her attitude has changed ever since she came out of this office,” Chimene said.
“She said very evil things about President Mugabe, but we did not go public about that. We have informed him of these things that she said of him.”
Chimene claimed she lived an honest life and promised to take the war to Muchinguri.
“I will give you a genuine smile, not a crocodile smile. I have no reason to go behind someone’s back. If she thinks she is a warlord, then she must be prepared to fight,” she said.
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The outspoken war veteran also rediculed Muchinguri over her failure to secure political office through elections, saying she survived on appointments.
“I am an MP, I win elections and I have a constituency I did not get into Parliament through the quota system,” she charged.
“I was not elected into the central committee through the women’s league ticket.
“As senior as she is, she should know what it means to win an election in a constituency. Muchinguri even fears contesting in our Zanu PF elections.”
The minister said she was not surprised by Muchinguri’s utterances during a clandestine meeting where the Environment minister allegedly said Chimene was a drug addict.
“I know more about her. That recording has nothing, there is a lot more I can say about her,” she said.
“ She should not underestimate me. I have a lot to say about her. If I wanted, I could have five discs on her but that is not my character.
“This is politics, there is nothing new about this especially me and the politburo member Oppah Muchinguri. “Let me give you a bit of history. The first time was in 1999 when I was elected to be a member of the central committee and she said she would not allow that.”
Chimene said she and Muchinguri had running battles over appointments and constituencies ever since.
“I went to the higher offices and presented my case and finally I was accepted,” she said.
“There were a lot more central committee elections and she said she did not like me.
“She organised women to demonstrate against me and preferred Mai Chirewo, but I was later appointed by the President.”
She said the first time she wanted to be an MP in Mutasa Central in 2000, Muchinguri blocked her.
But Chimene also admitted she and Muchinguri were both originally from outside Mutasa, the site of their battles. “She was saying that I was not a daughter from Mutasa, but, look I am a daughter of Manicaland. But she is not a daughter of Mutasa. She came here because her father was teaching in Mutasa, but she comes from Zimuto in Masvingo,” she said.
“So who is better placed to be an MP in Mutasa between me and her because Makoni is near Mutasa?
“I want you to know about it, I want you to know what is happening.
“I should stand my ground and not be bombarded and pounced from left, right and centre,” Chimene added. Repeated efforts to get comment from Muchinguri yesterday were fruitless as she was not answering her mobile number.
