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Mash Central legislators sabotaging ED: War vets

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WAR veterans in Mashonaland Central province have accused all the province’s 18 Members of Parliament of sabotaging President Emmerson Mnangagwa by using his government-funded food handouts for their selfish gains.

WAR veterans in Mashonaland Central province have accused all the province’s 18 Members of Parliament of sabotaging President Emmerson Mnangagwa by using his government-funded food handouts for their selfish gains.

BY SIMBARASHE SITHOLE

Speaking at a Zanu PF district co-ordinating committee (DCC) meeting in Guruve on Sunday, provincial war veterans’ leader Sam Parirenyatwa also accused some of the MPs of working with the opposition MDC in a plot to topple Mnangagwa.

He said the MPs and the provincial leadership were sabotaging the President by not campaigning fully for him, while using his food aid to campaign for their seats.

“As war veterans, we have noted that our MPs here in the province are sabotaging our President because they are not telling people the truth that the rice they are giving them is from the President,” Parirenyatwa said.

“It is well known that they are using the same rice for vote-buying ahead of the DCC elections and some are working with opposition parties to remove the President from power.

“The President is very much aware that most of our MPs got more votes than him, which is a clear indication that they were not campaigning for him. We are not taking this matter lightly as war veterans.”

Jostling for positions ahead of the DCC elections to be held this month, which will lead to provincial co-ordinating committee (PCC) elections likely to see provincial chairperson Kazembe Kazembe square off with businessman James Makamba, has increased tension in the Zanu PF provincial structures.

Parirenyatwa told the war veterans that the PCC was eliminating war veterans in the committee to foster their own agendas at the expense of the President.

“May I take this opportunity to tell you that the PCC is fighting hard to eliminate war veterans and, as we speak, they wanted to remove our Biton Tsine to replace him with their own,” he said.

The war veterans threatened to disturb all party meetings if the commissariat is not reserved for them, according to the ruling party’s directive.

Other war veterans accused Kazembe of masterminding the distribution of presidential rice in a manner which propped up the image of individuals who are meant to support his re-election at the expense of the party and the President.

“MPs who are not supportive of Kazembe did not get any rice and their constituencies are complaining bitterly. Despite complaints from the war veterans and the province, nothing has been done because Kazembe boasts of connections with the higher offices, hence nothing can be done to him,” a war veteran said.

Kazembe could not be reached for comment.