Zanu-PF to reprimand senior members 

Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief

ZANU-PF is going to reprimand senior party members especially in Kwekwe Central constituency who allegedly supported an independent candidate ahead of a preferred party candidate who subsequently lost the election.

Midlands provincial chairman Engineer Daniel Mackenzie Ncube, said it was sad that the party garnered over 350 000 for President Mnangagwa ahead of about 240 000 which went towards MDC Alliance because of elements within the party who were supporting an independent candidate.

He said independent candidate for Kwekwe Central Constituency, Advocate Jossinia Maupa, was one of the four MPs who were fired from the party for standing as independent candidates, but allegedly received campaign material from party leadership in Kwekwe.

Adv Maupa battled it out against Cde Kandros Mugabe who won the Zanu-PF primary elections, Mr Blessing Chebundo (MDC-Alliance), and the winner Mr Masango Matambanadzo (NPF).

“We have a party leadership in Kwekwe and others in some constituencies who were supporting independent candidates, candidates fired from the party. In Kwekwe, we had Cde Kandros Mugabe standing for us but we were surprised to hear that the leadership in Kwekwe was supporting Cde Maupa. That led to the split of votes and some decided not to vote for us because of such unruly behaviour,” Eng Ncube said.

“So, we are going to sit down and take proactive action and reprimand such elements amongst us so that this uncalled for occurrence won’t happen again in future. The party is going to take action and won’t take this lightly.”

Cde Mugabe was starved of campaign material by the Kwekwe leadership, a move that become suicidal for the party.

Eng Ncube said the party had managed to garner 22 out of 28 constituencies.

“We had 26 constituencies before the elections and now we have 22, which means we didn’t do quite well since we wanted all the constituencies in the province. We lost two constituencies in Kwekwe, one Redcliff, two in Gweru, and Chiwundura. But, we are going to rise to the challenge and work towards retaining the lost constituencies,” he said.

Before the elections, President Mnangagwa, urged Zanu-PF members to be wary of individuals contesting in the harmonised elections as independent candidates, but masquerading as ruling party cadres.