News / National
Spurned Zanu-PF candidates vow to go independent
27 Apr 2018 at 20:09hrs | Views
SCORES of aspiring Zanu-PF candidates in Masvingo, who were spurned by the party and barred from contesting in the party primaries, have vowed to go independent, NewsDay reported.
Some of the candidates said some "big names" who were afraid of competition had elbowed them out.
Among the sitting candidates elbowed out include Chiredzi North legislator Robert Mukwena and Masvingo Rural ward 11 councillor, Petrie Jorodhani, as well as other hopefuls who claimed they stood a better chance of winning if they had been given the green light to contest.
"They created artificial competition and blocked real threats. They were using flimsy reasons like saying that we are not Zanu-PF members. It is really shocking. The national elections directorate did not really vet candidates. They just took the recommendations made by the province, which in most cases were lies," a disqualified party member who declined to be named said.
Some of the disgruntled party members stormed party offices on Monday and Tuesday demanding to know why they were blocked from contesting.
Zanu-PF provincial chair, Ezra Chadzamira, did not pick up his calls when called for comment, but provincial executive member, Zvapano Munganasa, said the final list had been approved by the commissariat in Harare.
Munganasa, however, urged disqualified and winning candidates to work together and avoid splitting votes in the upcoming harmonised elections.
"If you lose, do not divide the people. Accept your loss and we urge unity in the party after the primaries. Nobody owns the people. Help the winner to campaign. We do not want violence in the primaries as well as the harmonised elections," he said.
Some of the candidates said some "big names" who were afraid of competition had elbowed them out.
Among the sitting candidates elbowed out include Chiredzi North legislator Robert Mukwena and Masvingo Rural ward 11 councillor, Petrie Jorodhani, as well as other hopefuls who claimed they stood a better chance of winning if they had been given the green light to contest.
"They created artificial competition and blocked real threats. They were using flimsy reasons like saying that we are not Zanu-PF members. It is really shocking. The national elections directorate did not really vet candidates. They just took the recommendations made by the province, which in most cases were lies," a disqualified party member who declined to be named said.
Some of the disgruntled party members stormed party offices on Monday and Tuesday demanding to know why they were blocked from contesting.
Zanu-PF provincial chair, Ezra Chadzamira, did not pick up his calls when called for comment, but provincial executive member, Zvapano Munganasa, said the final list had been approved by the commissariat in Harare.
Munganasa, however, urged disqualified and winning candidates to work together and avoid splitting votes in the upcoming harmonised elections.
"If you lose, do not divide the people. Accept your loss and we urge unity in the party after the primaries. Nobody owns the people. Help the winner to campaign. We do not want violence in the primaries as well as the harmonised elections," he said.
Source - newsday
