BEITBRIDGE mayor Morgan Ncube has requested that government officials should desist from being partisan during official State programmes where political parties that successfully contested in elections should be recognised.
BY REX MPHISA
Ncube said government officials represented all Zimbabweans regardless of their political affiliation.
“We cannot have a government function where Zanu PF officials are given recognition during salutations. We have government officials who represent all Zimbabweans and they alone should take charge of government functions,” he said.
He was reacting to the World Habitat Day commemorations in Beitbridge where Zanu PF provincial chairperson Rabelani Choeni sat at the top table among civil servants, the mayor and parliamentarians.
“What was he doing there? Who is he at a government function? He lost the senatorial seat to (Tambudzani) Mohadi and during government functions he belongs to the crowds, unless all other provincial chairpersons of different political parties are invited,” Ncube said.
Choeni even had his name added by hand on the protocol lists and government speakers addressed him.
“We must accept that time for politics is behind us and let’s genuinely work for people. In my mayoral acceptance speech, I pledged to work for everyone and in my eye at the moment here is no Zanu PF or MDC Alliance but a people of Beitbridge together,” Ncube said.
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He said he would approach the district administrator’s office to raise his concerns.
The MDC Alliance routed Zanu-PF in the Beitbridge Municipal elections to form an entire opposition council in the border town.
Choeni, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, has in the past been accused of hijacking government programmes.
In 2016, he caused the removal of journalists from a meeting where a representative of a group of about 100 doctors was to announce their coming to the border town to provide free medical service.
Only a handful of the doctors later came and the rest abandoned the trip after learning that Choeni was misleading the people to believe his party had organised the free medical service.
Choeni also attacked villagers in Beitbridge West for attending a rally addressed by Joice Mujuru during a function to celebrate a rural electrification programme at Swereki Secondary School.
