Zanu PF MP threatens to shoot rivals

via Zanu PF MP threatens to shoot rivals – DailyNews Live Mugove Tafirenyika • 7 December 2015

HARARE – Zanu PF National Assembly member for Rushinga constituency Wonder Mashange is embroiled in a nasty dispute which has since turned violent with a party provincial youth league executive member over the ownership of Pabwino Farm.

In a case that vindicates critics of President Robert Mugabe’s land reform programme, who point to its chaotic nature as reason for the recurrent food shortages the country has been grappling with since 2000, Mashange allegedly assaulted workers at Zanu PF Mashonaland Central provincial youth league secretary for lands and resettlement Tinashe Matangira’s plot number 3 at Pabwino Farm in Bindura, a piece of land he also claims to own.

The assaulted workers, Tatenda Chingwero and Lloyd Saujeni, who reported the case to the police and have an RRB number told the Daily News on Thursday that Mashange assaulted them with an irrigation sprinkler before drawing a pistol and threatening to shoot them if they did not vacate the plot.

According to the farm workers Mashange, who was allocated a plot next to Matangira’s, is allegedly abusing his position as MP to intimidate the youth leader and “disturbing production at the farm to frustrate him into quitting the portion that he so much envies”.

“He arrived while we were working on the farm and told us to stop, saying Matangira did not own the farm as he claimed it was allocated to him.

“He was visibly angry and when we asked him why he was saying that now after we have been at the farm since last year, he attacked me with a sprinkler before he drew a gun and threatened to shoot us if we did not comply with his order,” Chingwero said.

He added that he had reported the matter at Bindura Police Station and the case was recorded as RRB 2510424.

Mashange’s aide, who refused to identify himself when he answered the legislator’s phone, claimed that his boss had left for France.

“He left the country for France at the weekend and that is where his is right now. He will be back probably next week,” he said.

Chingwero said Matangira and Mashange were allocated plots number three and four, measuring 93 and 146 hectares respectively last year but the Rushinga legislator was not content with his share.

“He has been demanding that he be allocated the whole portion and at one point he even threatened to shoot the provincial lands officer (Gerald) Chirapa after he refused to give him an offer letter.

“This is notwithstanding the fact that since he was allocated the land, he has not been doing anything it terms of farming yet we began work here as soon as we got an offer letter. Presently, we have already planted seven hectares of maize while 50 hectares of land has been prepared,” Chingwero said.