ZANU PF party last week seized former Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs minister Ambrose Mutinhiri’s campaign vehicle, in a move viewed as meant to derail his campaign after he quit the ruling party and launched the opposition National Patriotic Front (NPF).
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
Mutinhiri was allocated a Ford Everest car by the ruling party while campaigning for the Marondera West parliamentary seat in 2013 on a Zanu PF ticket, and later retained the vehicle after his victory.
The former Zipra commander confirmed yesterday that two suspected State security agents collected the vehicle from his farm and briefly parked it at the party offices in Marondera, before it was handed over to a yet-to-be-identified top provincial official.
“It is true, the vehicle was taken and I do not know where it is right now. They arrived at my place and said they had come to collect the vehicle, saying it is needed by the government. The car is one of those we were given during Zanu PF campaigns some years back. Two guys from the President’s Office are the ones who took it,” he said.
Mutinhiri’s recent departure from Zanu PF and launch of NPF has reportedly shaken top party officials, especially after former President Robert Mugabe was linked to the new political outfit.
Efforts to get a comment from Zanu PF provincial chairperson Joel Biggie Matiza were fruitless yesterday, as his mobile phone went unanswered.
This came as the race to fill the vacant Marondera West seat has begun, with Foster Gwanzura and Sphiwe Mukunyaidze being touted as the top contenders.
