Violence broke out in parts of Mashonaland West Province this week as ZANU PF members from rival camps attacked each other ahead of the party’s primary elections.
NewsDay reported that violence rocked Sanyati and Chegutu West where Mines deputy minister Polite Kambamura and Dexter Nduna are the sitting Members of Parliament, respectively.
Reports suggest that some ZANU PF supporters have fled from their homes following the violence that flared up at Kasirisiri business centre in Sanyati on Tuesday.
Kambamura is being challenged by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyers, Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba and Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena’s younger brother, Tatenda.
A video of Magwaliba attacking Kambamura’s supporters also emerged.
Beauty Jeremiah, who is the ZANU PF Kasirisiri district chairperson, accused Magwaliba of sponsoring the violence. She said:
Magwaliba’s supporters have been going around threatening to come during the night and abduct Kambamura’s supporters and some people are now afraid of staying at their homes.
His (Magwaliba) supporters are threatening those who support Kambamura, unleashing violence while boasting that he is Mnangagwa’s lawyer and that he will cause the release of his supporters who would have been arrested.
Jeremiah also alleged that two teenage boys were stabbed for refusing to chant Magwaliba’s slogans at a rally the aspiring MP was addressing at Kasirisiri business centre on Tuesday.
However, Magwaliba denied fuelling the violence, adding that four of his supporters were attacked by Kambamura’s supporters. He said:
One was chopped by an axe, another shot by a catapult, while the other two were stoned.
Kambamura’s supporters ambushed my supporters as we tried to attend to someone they had axed and caused mayhem.
I have not been retaliating. His supporters have been threatening my supporters. I preach peace at my rallies. Our innocent supporter was arrested and accused of assaulting Jeremiah. He has been released.
All I can say is that Kambamura has been sponsoring violence.
The ZANU PF primary elections were initially scheduled for last week but were called off at the last minute.
They are being conducted this Saturday in 8 of the country’s 10 provinces, with Midlands and Masvingo set to hold the elections on Sunday.
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