'Stranded Zim MPs punished'

ZANU-PF Makoni South MP Mandi Chimene has described some of the 27 MPs who strayed to a distant part of southern China and got stranded for five days last week after they missed their return flight as "disobedient".

She added that the humiliation they went through "could be some kind of punishment from God".

The MPs, the majority of whom came back home last Friday were part of a 60-member delegation that went on a Chinese shopping jaunt organised by Chimene, but failed to connect with their return flight after they drifted to Guangdong some 2 300km away from Beijing.

Chimene said the confusion started when they arrived in Beijing, China, with other MPs led by Zaka Central MP Paradza Chakona (Zanu-PF) revolting against her and choosing to do their shopping in Guangdong.

"Maybe it was God's form of punishing the MPs for not obeying my advice and revolting against all my efforts," Chimene said.

"I did nothing wrong, but helped MPs to get exposure. Maybe God was angry, even Moses had the same experience and God punished the Israelites by sending snakes. Maybe that was the same case here."

Chimene was responding to allegations by some of the affected MPs that she had dumped them in China.

She accused Chakona of misleading other MPs bragging that he had travelled around the world hence he knew what he was doing.

"They were told by an Embassy official that if they go there, they should not come back on a Saturday (the day of departure) but they disregarded that and chose to travel that Saturday. They were told to come straight to Terminal 3, but again they argued saying they wanted to pick-up another MP at Terminal 2. I tried to negotiate with officials, but their things have systems," she said explaining how the MPs missed the flight.

The MPs said they went through "hell", reduced to destitution with no food and nowhere to take a decent bath.