'I didn't rig election,' says Zanu-PF Youth leader

Kudzanai Chipanga, the newly-elected deputy secretary for Zanu-PF Youth League, has refuted allegations that he rigged his way to power, insisting he won in a free and fair contest.

Chipanga, who is Makoni West legislator, defeated Tongai Kasukuwere in last week's poll for one of the top posts in the Zanu-PF youth wing that enables him to sit in the party's politburo.

"I won in a free and fair election," he protested.

"The people who were associated with the elections wanted to win the contest and (the losers) did not accept the outcome of the results.

"But it is time to move on and accept the results. It must be understood that  elections create divisions in the party,  and my appeal to the youths is that  we must now bury our differences and work together for the good of the party."

Chipanga said his opponents should have complained about the election irregularities during the poll not after the announcement of the results.

"The election is a process and not a one day event," he said.

"What if Kasukuwere or Louis Mathuthu had won, were they going to be complaining as they are now doing? I consider it as sour grapes because they lost the election that they badly wanted to win."

In a poll that has further divided the party along factional lines, Chipanga garnered 1 381 votes against Kasukuwere's 926 votes.
Mathuthu described the polls as flawed.

He lost the post of secretary for administration to Varaidzo Mupunga.

Chipanga said that he had proven to be a popular candidate against his rivals. He said this was because he had served the Youth League for 14 years.

"I am not a new comer to the Youth League as all the youth knew me from the work that I have been doing in the party structures as I had been secretary for external affairs," he said.

"I had been interacting with the youths over a long time, so it was easy for them to identify with me."

He also denied that he had been propped up by minister of State for Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa, to win the elections.

"We had been visiting with vaMutasa the country's provinces together with the entire leadership of the Youth League, which included Kasukuwere and Mathuthu, and were addressing the youths on ZimAsset," he said.

"So some of my colleagues who are saying that Mutasa was campaigning for me are being politically mischievous. VaMutasa is a senior member of the party and he is open to every youth who wants to meet him and he works with everyone," Chipanga said.

Chipanga refused to be regimented into Zanu-PF factions.

"I belong to the faction led by President Mugabe and Amai Mugabe. I subscribe to the president who is followed by vice president Mujuru, the national chairperson (Simon Khaya Moyo) and the secretary for administration (Diydmus Mutasa) that is the structure that I know, nothing more," he said.

But Mathuthu, the losing candidate, described the polls as flawed.

"I know that it was an internal process, but let me be honest, the elections were not fair," he said. "It was very unfortunate that senior leaders had an interest. People were given money; there is overwhelming evidence that the elections were rigged."

He alleged senior officials gave youths money and took them to a Jah Prayzah show in a bid to induce them to vote for Chipanga.

Chipanga denied the allegations saying the youths who were taken to a musical concert were not influenced to vote for him.

"I don't know where the musical show comes into play when voting," he said.  "These youths needed to relax and enjoy themselves after the day's deliberations at the conference and could not be influenced to vote for the candidate they did not like," said Chipanga.