By STAFF WRITER
MUTARE – DISGRUNTLED Zanu PF supporters on Sunday disrupted a Provincial Elections Committee meeting address by Manicaland provincial chairman Mike Madiro, demanding for his resignation.
Madiro left the meeting held at Mutare Teachers College in a huff. He was whisked away through the back entrance before fleeing at high speed in another vehicle, as the agitated supporters demanded that he be fired.
Drama followed as Zanu PF supporters who were in 4×4 pick-up trucks and Kombis pursued Madiro in a high speed chase before he escaped into a local hotel.
The party members proceeded to the party provincial headquarters where they are currently camping.
Zanu PF supporters who have been demonstrating at the offices since Sunday are accusing Madiro of imposing candidates and flawed electoral processes in the on-going district executive elections.
More than 200 supporters donning party regalia were from Sunday gathered at the offices chanting slogans, singing and dancing while demanding Madiro’s resignation.
The supporters were drawn from all the districts of Manicaland that include Mutare, Nyanga, Makoni, Buhera, Zimunya-Marange, Buhera and Chimanimani.
Zanu PF Mutare District Secretary for Youth Affairs Danmore Mambondiyani told supporters that they would not watch the party being destroyed by Madiro.
“We want to make this very clear to President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa that we are expressing our disgruntlement on how the district elections are being handled. The whole process is flawed and there is rigging that is going on,” Mambondiyani said.
“There is imposition of candidates. Those that have won the elections are being removed and replaced by people who would have not won,” he added.
“As youths we are defending our party. We will not just watch our party being destroyed by an individual. We want (Patrick) Chinamasa (who is the acting National Political Commissar) to address this situation. This is the reason why the President lost in Manicaland in the 2018 elections; these are the people who make us lose. We do not want this to happen again,” Mambondiyani said.
Dangamvura/Chikanga constituency aspiring candidate under Zanu PF ticket – Clide Jani – said the party supporters were in solidarity in expressing their grievances.
“We are gathered here to express our grievances as party supporters. We want to drum up support for the President and we want him to win the 2023 election,” said Jani.
“We want to solicit for the five million votes, but, we cannot achieve that when things are like this in the party. We want this issue to be addressed by the party leadership. We will be camped here until we have an audience from the leaders,” Jani said.
The district elections are part of Zanu PF’s massive root-and-branch shake-up which will see its entire structures, right from the cell to the central committee, being reconfigured through elections.
However, observers have said the divisions caused by the restructuring process could split the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
Chinamasa had directed provinces to conduct elections for party districts between the 20th and the 26th of this month.
In a circular, Chinamasa said following the completion of the restructuring of party branches, the positions of District Chairpersons of the main wing will be voted for by all executive committee members.
Chinamasa also noted that the elections will be conducted through the Basket system and by secret ballot in order to achieve fairness and representation of all party branches within the respective party district boundary.
District Coordinating Committee (DCC) members will conduct the elections, which will be supervised by provincial executive committee members.
According to the disgruntled supporters, Madiro, defied the circular as he imposed candidates and rigged the elections.
Efforts to get a comment from Madiro were fruitless.
