THE 10-year jail term imposed on Bikita West MP Munyaradzi Kereke early this week, could prove a boon for his Zanu PF rival, Elias Musakwa, who has been yearning to land the Parliamentary seat after two unsuccessful attempts, party insiders have said.
Source: Kereke imprisonment, boon for Musakwa – NewsDay Zimbabwe July 14, 2016
By Tatenda Chitagu
Kereke, who was convicted of raping and indecently assaulting his relative’s minor child at gunpoint, was on Tuesday sentenced to 14 years in prison, but will serve 10 years after four years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Zanu PF sources said Musakwa, by virtue of having contested in the last election and that he was the preferred party candidate ahead of Kereke, will likely contest the by-election on the ruling party ticket.
“Chances are very high that Musakwa will be the party candidate, given that he was the preferred candidate in the 2013 polls,” an insider said.
Zanu PF provincial chairperson, Amasa Nenjana said the party will have to go back to the constituency to allow party members choose their preferred candidate.
“It is the people that decide. We will have to go to the constituency, with the approval of the party headquarters, and consult the people,” he said.
“The fact that Musakwa stood on a Zanu PF ticket does not mean he is the automatic party candidate in the event of a by-election . . . what if the people, who voted Kereke, who won, do not like Musakwa?”
Musakwa, also a former Reserve Bank employee, was trounced by Kereke in the 2013 elections after Zanu PF fielded two candidates.
Kereke’s nomination saw then Zanu PF provincial chairperson, Lovemore Matuke and then secretary for administration, Edmund Mhere, being suspended for signing his nomination papers, though they argued that the decision was arrived at after the province met and deliberated.
Kereke was later suspended from the party, but was re-admitted, as Zanu PF made a major climb-down.
Musakwa, who twice failed in his bid to be the MP for the area, hopes to get it right this time.
He could not be reached for a comment yesterday.
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