ZANU PF politburo member Jorum Gumbo, who was in charge of Masvingo District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections held on December 05 – 06, has alleged that a faction that rallied behind Trust Mugabe employed violence to win the polls.
Mugabe, who was reportedly backed by senior party member Clemence Makwarimba, former national political commissar Retired Lt Gen Engelbert Rugeje and Josaya Hungwe, lost heavily to Tawanda Dube for the position of Masvingo DCC chairperson.
Gumbo confirmed to TellZim News that there were some centres in Masvingo and Chiredzi districts that did not vote and he recommended a re-run for those centres only. He said:
Generally, the elections were free and fair though there were some incidences here and there. There were five centres which failed to vote in Masvingo district and 17 in Chiredzi district.
Masvingo district was torn between the people who supported Trust Mugabe and those who supported Tawanda Dube for the post of chairperson.
It was unfortunate that the Mugabe camp was very violent and at some point, I threatened to disqualify them.
The Makwarimbas; including Clemence’s son Phainos, Rugeje and Hungwe are alleged to have been pushing for a rerun but all was in vain as the politburo approved the results of all the seven districts of Masvingo province.
Meanwhile, Phainos, who is provincial deputy political commissar, told TellZim News that there was no factionalism in Masvingo.
He said people were only asking for a chance to participate in free and fair elections and what happened during the DCC polls could cost the party come 2023 elections. Said Phainos:
All people did was ask for a free and fair election. Now they are attacking my person and my father for telling them the truth.
All of a sudden they want to be more Lacoste than others. We know the history of some of them and they were not there when my father was fighting for Zanu PF.