CHAOS reigned yesterday in Goromonzi when top officials among them labour minister, Petronella Kagonye and businessman and party activist, Energy Mutodi allegedly stormed Zanu PF offices in the district and attempted to take over the process of receiving and vetting CVs for potential candidates, before some ruling party members staged a protest.
TARIRO GOMWE
Provincial secretary for legal affairs Kudzai Majuru, Mutodi, Kagonye and one Madimutsa were accused of seizing CVs from the district coordinator before going through them.
The move angered party supporters who mobilised themselves and besieged the offices resulting in the officials’ reportedly fleeing for safety.
In Goromonzi, it is reported that Mutodi and Majuru were detained after tempers flared as party members were against their action while Kagonye reportedly fled from the scene.
Mutodi is due to contest for the hot Goromonzi West seat together with businessman Leroy Murape, current MP Beatrice Nyamupinga, and two others.
According to sources, Mutodi took over the process of receiving CVs from Tendai Nhamo, the party’s district coordinator before angry party supporters besieged the office and threatened to beat up the controversial musician, who later relented.
Nhamo confirmed the incident.
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“As I speak to you, I am outside the office and I have sought some other space to work from because there are provincial members checking CVs,” he said.
Other contestants said they feared Mutodi would tamper with their CVs as there was conflict of interest in that he was both a Mashonaland East provincial member and a contestant in the primaries.
“The situation that we have in Goromonzi West is so bad, with Mutodi wanting to take over the constituency by force,” Murape said.
“He insists that he is the president’s choice for MP, but we are saying, a person must come from the people. He belongs to Bikita where he comes from. He accuses Goromonzi people of being uneducated. We are not going to be intimidated. He is a contestant like all of us and he must let all our CVs to be verified by other people other than him, and not him bulldozing the party coordinator.”
Nyamupinga also confirmed the incident, and said Mutodi had shut the office and forced everyone out.
“I heard that Mutodi is tampering with CVs of other candidates. I understand that he is writing comments on those CVs. We now fear that our CVs won’t reach the national office.
“As a woman, my question is who would fear contesting me and remove my CV before even the primaries. Let those who have the authority turn down the CVs and if they do so, I will respect that, and if I contest him and lose, I will respect that and support him,” she said.
Mutodi referred all the questions to Majuru.
“Call him if you need any briefing on what is happening,” he said.
In Goromonzi North, Majuru is set to lock horns with Nyasha Matsika and one Ncube.
Matsika is related to Doves boss Farai Matsika.
In Goromonzi South, Kagonye is likely to face more than seven candidates that include Phillip Kwenda, Oswald Gwanzura and businesswoman Sharon Mugabe among others.
Mugabe, who was present during the fracas alleged Kagonye demanded the CVs from the district co-odinator and forcefully took over before going through them.
“We are shocked by this, it is unconstitutional. How can she (Kagonye) go through the CVs when the party district coordinator was supposed to take them to the provincial headquarters? The co-odinator got agitated before Kagonye entered and took the CVs,” she said.
