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Cde Mnangagwa

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
ZANU PF Midlands has elected 17 members who will represent the province in the central committee while elections for representatives from Shurugwi and Gokwe North districts were shelved due to allegations of vote buying.The party’s secretary for legal affairs Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected unopposed by Kwekwe district as were Cdes Mackenzie Ncube and Douglas Tapfuma.

The other nominated members had to go through an election.

Those who won were Cdes Melody Dziva, Wellington Magura and Rain Mathulisa from Gweru; Dr Jorum Gumbo, Cdes July Moyo, Ben Mataga and Godwill Shiri from Mberengwa; Cde Lawrence Mavhima and Dr Gregory Mataka from Zvishavane; Cdes Saviors Piki and Max Zvidzai from Chirumhanzu, Cdes Victor Matemadanda, Tambai Masuka and Docas Maposhere from Gokwe South.

Politburo member Dr Obert Mpofu presided over the elections which he described as free and fair.

“The elections went on well and they were smooth sailing in all the districts,” he said.

Elections in Gokwe North and Shurugwi were postponed to November 25 after some of the participants were implicated in vote buying.

The provincial executive council resolved that the elections be shelved while the party deliberated on vote buying allegations being levelled against some of the contestants.

In Shurugwi, Cdes Francis Nhema and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi have been accused of voting buying after they allegedly bussed district chairs of the main wing, youth and women’s leagues to Harare where they are said to have given them money and other gifts to buy their votes ahead of the Central Committee elections.

In Gokwe, Cde Flora Buka is facing similar allegations as well as charges of fanning factionalism. The party resolved to issue a prohibition order against the chairpersons pending investigations. She will appear before the party’s disciplinary committee on Friday.

Zanu PF Midlands secretary for information and publicity Cde Cornelius Mpereri said: “Elections couldn’t be held in Gokwe North and Shurugwi because there’re outstanding issues of alleged vote buying being leveled against some of the contestants. They can’t be disqualified at the moment because their fate is not yet known. Therefore, we saw it fit to postpone the elections in the affected districts to next week.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Cde Chiratidzo Mabuwa and Mberengwa North Member of Parliament Tafanana Zhou have been summoned by the disciplinary committee for a hearing on allegations of disrupting inter-district party meetings and vote buying.

It is alleged that MP Zhou received money from an undisclosed source which he gave to the youths to influence the outcome of the youth national executive election results while Deputy Minister Mabuwa is alleged to have organised youths to disrupt an inter-district party meeting in Mberengwa and incited violence.

The youths allegedly threatened to assault provincial commissar Cde Makhosini Hlongwane and Cde Kudakwashe Zhou.

“The two have been summoned for hearing,” said Cde Mpereri.