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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Infighting for slots at the Zanu-PF Women’s League conference continued yesterday with reports in Manicaland province alleging that some candidates booked party supporters into lodges thereby denying their rivals access to them.The Zanu-PF Women’s League will conduct inter-district elections today and tomorrow to select four candidates from each province, two of which would be members of the Central Committee.
The elections are in preparation for the women’s conference to be held next week
before the revolutionary party’s December elective congress.
Reports were that some women had been housed in lodges in Nyanga, Birchenough Bridge and at one of the candidate’s residence in Mutare.
Those vying for positions in Manicaland are Cdes Nyasha Chikwinya, Monica Mutsvangwa, Jane Knight Mabuto, Happinesss Nyakuedzwa, Alice Mutindori, Octavia Mutemaroro and Agatha Muparutsa.
Some women interviewed in Nyanga said they have been accommodated in a lodge where they were being provided with goodies.
“We have also been given a list of candidates to vote for,” said one of the women on condition of anonymity.
One candidate described the practice as unfair and accused her rival of vote buying.
“Is it fair to commandeer married women into a lodge and give them a list of people to vote for?” she asked. “That’s vote buying to say the least.”
The fingered candidate declined to comment last night, saying she was busy campaigning and would not listen to those bent on tarnishing other people’s images.
Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for Manicaland province Cde John Mvundura said no such reports had reached him.
“Honestly, I have not heard about that,” he said. “But I am not worried with where one has slept. It is not my business to know whether one has slept in a lodge or not. All what I know is that there will be elections tomorrow (today) and that is what we are preparing for,” he said.
Reports of kidnapping of party supporters started in Gokwe Nembudziya after National Assembly Member for Gokwe-Gumunyu Cde Melania Majovani reported Minister of State in the Office of the President Cde Flora Buka to the police for allegedly abducting and holding members of the Women’s League hostage in a bid to force them to vote for her.
Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Webster Shamu sparked outrage within the party after introducing secretary for administration and Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Cde Didymus Mutasa as the acting national chairman at the commemoration of the ruling Zanu-PF’s July 31, 2013 landslide victory.
The introduction which was done at State House last week came as a surprise to many considering that Cde Mutasa is eyeing the position of national chairman at the party’s elective Congress.
derick.khumalo