Zimpapers Logo

Dydimus Mutasa

Harare Bureau
Expelled Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Mr Didymus Mutasa yesterday failed in his bid to stand as the revolutionary party’s candidate in a by-election in Headlands on June 10 after the Nomination Court sitting in Mutare rejected his papers.

The Headlands constituency seat fell vacant after Mutasa was expelled from Parliament when Zanu-PF wrote to the august House disowning him. This followed his expulsion from the party for working with former Vice-President Joice Mujuru in a bid to illegally push out President Mugabe.

Mutasa’s nephew Temba Mliswa, who was expelled from both the party and Parliament at the same time for the same reasons, successfully filed his papers at the Nomination Court for the Hurungwe West by-election in Chinhoyi yesterday after he approched the court as an independent.

Mutasa, through his election agent Sabena Ranganai Chiteme, was the first to present his papers at the Nomination Court just after midday.

News soon spread that he had filed his papers on a Zanu-PF ticket and the party’s provincial executive led by acting chairman Dr Samuel Undenge objected to the Nomination Court stating that Mutasa was expelled from the party.

Mutare’s top lawyer and the party’s secretary for legal affairs Cde Misheck Mugadza filed the objection papers stating that it was wrong for Mutasa to file his papers using Zanu-PF’s name since he was dismissed from the party.

“The Zanu-PF party objects to the submission of nomination papers under the party name and symbol of Zanu-PF by Didymus Noel Mutasa as he was dismissed from the party and therefore ceased to be a member of the party from the date of such expulsion,” read the objection papers.

“Whereof it is prayed that his nomination papers be rejected by the Honourable Court (See Section 46 (10) of the Electoral Act Chapter 2:13).”

At the close of the Nomination Court, Manicaland elections officer Moffat Masabeya rejected Mutasa’s papers, saying he was not being sponsored by Zanu-PF, the party he had indicated in his papers.

Conducted for comment, Mutasa refused to discuss his disqualification with our Harare Correspondent.

“I’ve always told you that I do not talk to you because you do not report on me favourably,” he said.

Efforts by journalists and the Zanu-PF provincial executive to get information on who had signed Mutasa’s papers authorising him to represent the party were fruitless.

Masabeya said he was not at liberty to divulge such information as it was confidential.

The Zanu-PF candidate Cde Christopher Chingosho successfully filed his papers to contest the by-election together with David Mukunda of the National Constitutional Assembly and an independent, Albert Mukaratirwa.

In Chinhoyi, Zanu-PF’s Cde Keith Guzah successfully filed papers to stand in the Hurungwe West by-election in a two-horse race against Mliswa.

Soon after filing his papers, Mliswa declared that he was still a member of Zanu-PF who would one day bounce back into the fold.

He said he was not the first person to be expelled from Zanu-PF.

Presiding officer Kenneth Kwaramba declared Cde Guzah and Mliswa duly nominated at the close of business.