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Tshinga Dube threatens to sue ‘lying’ rival

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MAKOKOBA legislator, Tshinga Dube has threatened to sue his party rival and former aide, Nothiwani Dlodlo for allegedly going on a smear campaigning against him during and after the just-ended Zanu PF primary elections.

MAKOKOBA legislator, Tshinga Dube has threatened to sue his party rival and former aide, Nothiwani Dlodlo for allegedly going on a smear campaigning against him during and after the just-ended Zanu PF primary elections.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU/SILAS NKALA

Dlodlo claimed Dube rigged his way in and was planning to use the money allocated under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to oil his campaign machinery ahead of the upcoming general elections.

But, Dube denied the charges.

“I am not even a signatory to the CDF account. There is a committee in charge of that and why and how would I, therefore, steal the CDF money. The continued campaign to tarnish my image leaves me with no option, but to sue him to prove his claims,” he said in an interview.

“Why would I loot the CDF when I have been running several charity organisations and projects to assist orphans, the aged and unemployed under my J D Dube Foundation for years?”

Dlodlo, however, hit back threatening to “spill the beans” against the former minister.

“I cannot stop him from suing me. I am not losing any sleep. It will be embarrassing for him to sue a young man like me, but I am prepared to expose him after having worked with him if he takes that route,” he said.

Dube and Dlodlo had an acrimonious fallout in 2016 over outstanding wages.

Dlodlo, a former election agent and Makokoba parliamentary constituency information centre officer, accused Dube of not paying him for his services since a by-election in April, 2015.

Dube, who landed the Makokoba constituency when he out-polled six independent candidates after failed attempts in the past two elections, denies the allegations.

He also told Dlodlo and Nyoni to stop lying that he had bussed supporters, used police officers as polling officers and blocked their supporters from voting.

Dube said even if the re-run was to be conducted 10 times, he will still beat them.

“All what they are saying are lies. Even the bus that they say transported only my supporters is a lie. The bus was carrying everyone who wanted to go to vote, including those who voted for them,” he said.

“These guys are just desperate for a victory they will not get. Just imagine at Burombo, Dlodlo got only two votes, while I got over 300 votes, at Westgate, he got 20 votes and I got over 300 votes. Nyoni at Burombo got 74 votes, while at Westgate, he got 70 votes. If you look at these results, it’s clear that they are far from having been cheated, but it is because they have no support, as they are not known.”

Dube said the two were not even in the party structures and he wondered how they managed to contest. He also dismissed claims he was aware of the police officers involvement in the polls, saying he did not even know how the cops were engaged.