Source: Mutodi, Nyamupinga draw swords – DailyNews Live
Andrew Kunambura 26 March 2018
HARARE – Controversial Zanu PF parliamentary aspirant Energy Mutodi has
stirred a hornet’s nest in the ruling party’s Mashonaland East Province as
front-runners for the Goromonzi West National Assembly seat he is eyeing
are annoyed by the arrival of “an outsider”.Until recently, Mutodi has indicated interest to represent Bikita South
constituency in Masvingo Province where he was born and bred.Mutodi has changed his mind and now set sight on the Goromonzi West seat
where he has been openly campaigning ahead of the general election despite
the fact that Zanu
PF insists that the season for contestation has not yet arrived.His activities have since unsettled those also interested in the seat,
most notably Beatrice Nyamupinga who is the sitting MP for the area.Other prospective MPs are local businessman Leroy Murape and Rusununguko
High School headmaster, Norman Gombera.A war of words has since erupted between Mutodi and Nyamupinga as they
traded unbridled verbal pikes when interviewed by the Daily News.Mutodi accused Nyamupinga of trying to frustrate his parliamentary bid by
distributing fliers denigrating him as an outsider who should go back to
his home province of Masvingo.Some inscriptions on the fliers denounce Mutodi as a “thief” in relation
to his court appearance on duping home seekers by purporting to sell
residential stands in 2014.He was, however, acquitted by the courts.
Mutodi told the Daily News yesterday that Nyamupinga was behind the
printing and distribution of the fliers.He said Nyamupinga was doing so because she realised that she was not
going to win and was now working to promote probable MDC candidate for the
constituency, Luke Tamborinyoka.“The papers being circulated to de-campaign me are being circulated by
Biata Nyamupinga. It has since dawned to us all that Nyamupinga is working
in cohorts(sic) with the MDC to ensure that Zanu PF loses in Goromonzi
West constituency.“The MDC has also tweeted saying they are happy with the support that a
sitting Zanu PF MP, Nyamupinga is giving them to ensure that I lose
against Tamborinyoka,” said Mutodi.“However, we had expected Nyamupinga to behave the way she is doing after
she was linked to Mutinhiri’s (National Patriotic Front) NPF party.“My rivalry with her is not new. In 2013, I should have become the MP for
Goromonzi West but I was blocked by Ray Kaukonde who was working under
instruction of the then Vice President Joice Mujuru.“Mujuru wanted Nyamupinga to win because they are related and they were
working on a Gamatox project together. They came up with trumped up
charges against me and I was arrested several times only to be acquitted
by the courts.”But Nyamupinga strongly hit back saying she had no time to campaign
against “a certain loser”.“We know that he has been moving around the constituency slaughtering
cattle for feasts under the guise that he was holding celebratory parties
for President Emmerson Mnangagwa.“We all know he is misrepresenting the president. In terms of party and
government hierarchy, I am the president’s representative here, who is
he?” she exploded.
She also denied allegations that she was behind the distribution of the
anti-Mutodi fliers.“To start with, I am not very good with computers and so there is no way I
could have made those designs. I was never a part to his stands scandal
for which people are demanding that he be accountable.“I am not the only contestant here; there are many others who are eyeing
the seat and these fliers could have come from any one of those, why then
does he point the suspicion finger at me. I am the current MP for the area
and I shall remain an MP,” she said.“I am a very peaceful person. He should just wait for the primary
elections to come so that he loses resoundingly,” said Nyamupinga.
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