An unidentified suspected ZANU PF official has declared that the ruling party is at war with the Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) ahead of general elections scheduled for later this year.
In a leaked audio posted on one of ZANU PF’s many WhatsApp groups obtained by NewsDay, the official is heard defending the violence that recently broke out in Chirowa Village, Murewa North. Said the official:
Do you know what war is? War is winner takes all and there is collateral damage. We are at war and we are going to war with CCC.
These elderly wanted to go to a meeting at their age. Don’t they know the ruling party?
They want to remove my President [Emmerson Mnangagwa]. We are going to win elections with blood or no blood.
We are not playing here. If your grandmother and grandfather put an X against the President we are going to be hanged.
We will lose and we are going to be hanged by Chamisa (Nelson Chamisa CCC leader).
Morris Seremani (74), Susan Seremani (56), Beauty Chikoti (52), Chipo Mutizwa (37), Nyaradzai Chitauro (52), Sekuru Dongo (79) and Munyaradzi Dongo (38) were left with injuries after they were assaulted for allegedly supporting CCC.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said it was investigating the incident.
ZANU PF Mashonaland East chairperson Daniel Garwe on Sunday denied reports that ZANU PF members had assaulted the villagers.
However, a senior CCC member in Murehwa Rabson Mazuru, told NewsDay that ZANU PF activists were responsible for the violence. He said:
What ZANU PF said is not true. It’s just trying to hide behind a finger. It will continue to expose itself because it’s the law itself.
These elderly are truly CCC members. It happened that one of them (Seremani) who was beaten severely was not feeling well and he had been in Harare.
He only came back on December 30 so when others heard that he came back they just mobilised themselves to go and pray for him. That’s how they got to Seremani’s home.
So, someone could have seen Seremani’s friend going to see him and thought that they were going to a party meeting and called ZANU PF alleging that these people were troublesome.
They were forced to say that they were having a party meeting, but that wasn’t the purpose of their visit.