Matabeleland North governor and acting Zanu PF provincial chairperson Thokozile Mathuthu has revealed that she is interested in the Hwange East House of Assembly seat.
Speaking at an indigenisation strategic meeting in Lupane last Friday, Mathuthu mistakenly said the venue of the meeting, Mabhikwa High School, was in Lupane East.
However, when corrected that the school was situated in Lupane West, Mathuthu said: “I am sorry. I think I got it confused because I am eyeing the Hwange East constituency.”
The legislator for Hwange East is Tose Wesley Sansole from MDC-T.
Mathuthu is an MP by virtue of being governor after being appointed by her party’s leader, President Robert Mugabe.
A number of senior Zanu PF officials are reportedly eyeing seats in various constituencies with party chairman Simon Khaya Moyo also campaigning in his Bulilima home area in neighbouring Matabeleland South province.
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Party insiders said the developments were a result of an order by Mugabe in one of the Zanu PF politburo meetings in 2010 that all senior party members were required to take part in elections to boost the party’s performance in the next polls.
Mathuthu is a member of the politburo, but was asked to act as the party’s provincial chairperson following the suspension of acting chairperson Zwelitsha Masuku late last year.
Masuku was accused of violating the party statutes by calling for the election of the now disbanded district co-ordinating committees in the province without getting clearance from head office.
Masuku has since been cleared of any wrongdoing and given the green light to take part in elections for a substantive provincial chairperson soon.