‘Women scared to challenge Mutsvangwa’ 

Source: ‘Women scared to challenge Mutsvangwa’ – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY KENNETH NYANGANI      

CANDIDATES eyeing top Zanu PF women’s league posts are allegedly scared to challenge Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa due to her alleged close links to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The ruling party’s women’s league will hold its elective conference from June 23 to 26.

Women in the party angling for top posts in Manicaland province are said to have chickened out on the eleventh hour, resulting in Mutsvangwa being uncontested for the top post.

Each province is required to submit four candidates ahead of the national women’s league conference slated for next month.

Sources yesterday told NewsDay that some prospective candidates were afraid to contest with Mutsvangwa, who is the current women’s league secretary for administration.

“Candidates chickened out from contesting Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa because she is very powerful and is close to Mnangagwa.  They felt that contesting against her will be viewed as confronting number one (Mnangagwa),” the source said.

“It is true that Oppah Muchinguri had fielded candidates to contest against Mutsvangwa as they have ambitions to participate in the elections,” another source said.

Muchinguri had reportedly fielded Pamela Razembe and Lucia Chitura who both failed to make it to the top four.

In Manicaland province, heavyweight Alice Mutindori, who was the national women’s league political commissar, also failed to make it to the top four.

Other candidates, who made it included Ivy Mhlanga, Theresa Nyapokoto and Kerenia Chimuso.

In Harare province, Betty Kaseke reportedly clinched the number one slot, followed by former Women Affairs minister Nyasha Chikwinya.

Efforts to get a comment from Mutsvangwa yesterday were fruitless.

But Zanu PF political commissar Mike Bimha told NewsDay that the elections were peaceful.

“The elections are going on well and we are expecting all the results by Monday morning (today).  We are still getting reports of results, but the elections were peaceful,” Bimha said.