via Mnangagwa’s wife eyes hubby’s Parly seat NewsDay January 16, 2015
ACTING President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxillia, yesterday increased her chances of taking over her husband’s parliamentary seat after she submitted her CV to contest the Chirumanzi-Zibagwe by-election on a Zanu PF ticket.
It is understood that over 10 Zanu PF party cadres were eyeing the seat left vacant following Mnangagwa’s appointment as Vice-President last month.
There were also unconfirmed reports that Mnangangwa’s eldest son Emmerson Jnr, who represents Kwekwe district in the provincial structures, was also interested in the vacant seat, whose by-election has been set for March 27.
Emmerson Jnr recently hogged the limelight after his farmhouse, some 20km outside Kwekwe along Mvuma-Chirumanzi Road, was gutted by fire.
Another by-election is set to be held on the same date in Mt Darwin West previously held by former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
Auxillia, a Zanu PF politburo member (deputy secretary for environment and tourism) and central committee member, is widely tipped to go uncontested as the MDCs have stayed away from both by-elections.
Midlands Zanu PF spokesperson Cornelius Mpereri told NewsDay after the provincial committee meeting yesterday that Auxillia had submitted her CV, but the door was still open for those interested to do so before Wednesday next week.
“If no one submits his or her CV, then she will automatically become the Zanu PF candidate for the by-election,” Mpereri said.
“She expressed interest and submitted her CV. Those who want to submit their CVs can do so until Wednesday next week and if there is more than one submission, a primary election will be held. That’s the position.”
The Zanu PF election directorate is expected to meet next week to receive and assess interested candidates’ CVs.
Yesterday’s meeting, according to Mpereri, was attended by Mnangagwa and national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.
Mnangagwa officially bade farewell to Midlands province saying he was now “a bigger servant of the people” with Kasukuwere reportedly telling party officials to acknowledge the national responsibility given to the Acting President and “stop abusing him” with their “petty fights”.
Mpereri said the province would meet soon to co-opt other party members to fill nine posts in the main wing, six in the women’s league and two in the youth league which fell vacant following vote of no confidence made against the previous executive.
Meanwhile, the Zanu PF Manicaland provincial leadership yesterday passed a resolution to summarily expel former secretary of administration Didymus Mutasa from the party for calling for the nullification of the party’s December congress resolutions.
“Politburo members Oppah Muchinguri and Patrick Chinamasa moved the motion to expel Mutasa,” an insider said after the meeting.
The recommendation for Mutasa’s expulsion came as war veterans and Zanu PF youths have relentlessly called for Mutasa’s head. Party members also want him relieved of his Headlands parliamentary seat where demonstrations were held against him.
Mutasa’s fate is set to unravel at the next politburo meeting which would likely be held soon after President Robert Mugabe’s return from his annual vacation.
Zanu PF’s “mute” spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo said the party would make substantive comments on Mutasa on Monday.
“I have heard of the disparaging Press reports which are attributed to Cde Mutasa concerning our congress and party. In view of the seriousness of these remarks, I shall on Monday give a comprehensive, factual and detailed response to these remarks as they do not deserve a casual comment,” Khaya Moyo said in a statement.
If expelled, Mutasa will join the ranks of ex-spokesman Rugare Gumbo and war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda who were shown the door by the party just before the December congress for aligning with Mujuru.
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