adminHerald Reporter
Hundreds of villagers marched to Bindura Rural District Council offices last Friday protesting over poor service delivery and demanding the sacking of chairperson Mr Justice Chinakwetu. Riot police had to use teargas to disperse the angry villagers. Mr Chinakwetu had to be escorted to safety by riot police. He jumped the security fence and boarded a commuter omnibus to Bindura where he sought refuge.
The villagers also accused Mr Chinakwetu of insulting President Mugabe during meetings.
They waved placards inscribed “President Mugabe ndibaba havatukwe”.
One of the protesters Mr Francis Kuvimba told The Herald that villagers requested for a grader to service a road linking Gwaze and Nyava, but Mr Chinakwetu reportedly told them to vote wisely during the Zanu-PF national congress in December if they wanted development to happen in their communities.
“He told us at a meeting we had last week that we have to see what we can do in the forthcoming Zanu-PF elective congress with regards to the Presidency if development will take place in our area,” he said.
“We have more than 1 600 litres of diesel we thought was going to assist on road maintenance but it is not working. They tell us that they cannot do so because there are gorges.”
Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central provincial secretary for lands Cde Tinashe Matangira said no one should insult President Mugabe.
“We are surviving in this country mainly after the sacrifice of President Mugabe. We fully despise all those that castigate him because we are enjoying the fruits of his hard work. As youths we endorse him to stay in power and represent Zanu-PF in the future and we are against all machinations,” said Cde Matangira.
Several efforts to get a comment from Mr Chinakwetu were fruitless as his phone was not reachable.
Acting Bindura RDC chief executive Mr Albert Chivanga refuted the allegations saying the road was supposed to be maintained by the District Development Fund.
“The road in question is not a council road, but it belongs to DDF. DDF does not have working equipment at the moment to work on the road,” he said.
“The chairman is a level headed person and I doubt he would conduct himself in such a manner. The residents might be doing that to advance a political agenda.”
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