By Nyasha Chuma
A Zanu PF meeting held at the party’s Harare provincial headquarters on Friday last week ended in mayhem.
This was after Zanu PF Harare provincial vice chairperson Godwin Gomwe hurled insults at the provinces chairperson Goodwill Masimirembwa before aiming a chair which landed on his legs while accusing him of rigging district elections, a Harare Court heard.
Zanu PF provincial elections have temporarily been suspended countrywide after party top officials received a damning dossier detailing violence, vote buying and factionalism tearing apart the ruling party.
Insiders say President Emmerson Mnangagwa is now weighing the option of co-opting individuals into Zanu PF chairmanship posts to avoid the fragmented party from further splitting ahead the 2023 election.
However, that has not stopped party bigwigs from throwing the kitchen sink at the party district elections with top officials lining their ducks in a row in a desperate bid to plant their proxies into the lower structures of the party.
Establishing proxies at district level increases ones influence in the upper rungs of the ruling party.
Earlier this week, a Masimirembwa filed a police report against Gomwe who was then arraigned before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi facing assault charges.
It is the States’ case that Masimirembwa was bruised on his legs after Gomwe allegedly picked up a chair and threw it onto his legs while hurling insults.
Gomwe was allegedly angry at Masimirembwa for failing to notify him about the meeting held on September 24 to address complaints regarding on-going Zanu PF district elections in Harare.
“Ndirikuda kukumamisa Masimirembwa urikuda kuriga maelections uchiitira Chidhau kuti aite chairman, ndoda kukuputitsa zidumbu iroro. (I want to beat you up Masimirembwa, you are plotting to rig elections so that Chidhau can become the chairman),” Gomwe allegedly yelled.
Prosecutors told the court that Gomwe arrived at the party offices around mid-day complaining that the meeting was held without his knowledge.
Masimirembwa advised Gomwe that a notice of the meeting was sent through a WhatsApp text.
Gomwe allegedly went on to accuse Masimirembwa for facilitating the rigging of elections in favour of Harare Provincial Affairs minister Oliver Chidawu in the temporarily suspended Zanu PF provincial elections.
Gomwe was not asked to plead. He will be back in court on October 25 for trial.
