Opinion / Columnist
CCC filed a false report against Energy Mutodi, investigations reveal
14 Jul 2023 at 10:43hrs | Views
In a desperate bid to woe supporters after fielding a weak candidate, the opposition CCC reportedly filed a false police report against Goromonzi West legislator Energy Mutodi who is aspiring Member of Parliament for Bikita South on a ZANU PF ticket.
A peaceful morning on Thursday 6 July turned a usually quiet Baradzanwa Shopping Centre into a war zone after CCC youths stoned a white single cab truck belonging to the ZANU PF candidate Energy Mutodi which was on its way to a nearly Ward, passing through a CCC meeting ground.
A driver for the truck Giyani Gono went to pick a ZANU PF supporter one Talent Makuku who had been held hostage by CCC activists waiting to be addressed by Nelson Chamisa while she was on her way to a ZANU PF rally.
Upon his arrival, he was accused of invading the CCC meeting venue leading to the stoning of his truck. He immediately notified Energy Mutodi who arrived within a hour to rescue his driver but CCC supporters immediately pelted his cars with stones prompting the legislator to run away for safety. The MP's security staff reacted swiftly to deter the marauding CCC youths from further damaging the ZANU PF vehicles but this was not before three cars had been stoned.
Fearing arrest, CCC meeting convener Simon Ziki approached the police to make a false report, claiming CCC supporters had been stoned by ZANU PF youths who were accompanying their candidate to a Ward 8 rally. However, shop owners who witnessed the fracas confirmed CCC youths had started the violence by stoning Mutodi's cars and should have therefore been apprehended. The eye witnesses mentioned CCC supporters one Tichaona Muradzikwa of Ward 16 Bikita East and Blessed Muwango of Ward 6 Bikita South as some of the culprits who pelted stones at the ZANU PF fleet.
CCC has been rocked by violence nationwide as its supporters engage in dog fights over allegations and counter allegations of candidate imposition and corruption in its unpopular Candidate Selection Process which approved its Council and Parliamentary representatives.
In Bikita South, a popular candidate Vhurandeni Jani Makuku could not make it to the final candidate list after an unpopular candidate Barney Nyika reportedly paid Simon Ziki a handsome package to produce popularity reports in his favour. Simon Ziki is the CCC godfather in Bikita district. Another CCC hopeful Isau Mukanga was also sidelined.
In contrast, a well organised ZANU PF fielded a strong well-resourced candidate after a transparent primary election exercise in which at least seven candidates competed. Energy Mutodi who is a former deputy information minister is a lawyer, businessman and academic, having attained a doctoral degree from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business. His CCC rival Barney Nyika is currently a student at UNISA and is reportedly based in Mozambique.
Energy Mutodi contested in the peri-urban Goromonzi West seat in 2018 and won against Luke Tamborinyika and Clifford Nhamburo who stood as candidates for Nelson Chamisa's MDC Alliance and Douglas Mwonzora's MDCT respectively as well as Beater Nyamupinga who ran as an independent.
In this year's primary elections, Energy Mutodi who had been holed in the United Kingdom for studies and only arrived in Masvingo two weeks before the ZANU PF primaries won against his own brother Givemore and five others to claim the ticket to represent ZANU PF. Uta Chipepura, a ZANU PF information tsar confirmed Mutodi had already held successful mobilisation meetings in all wards and was set to win resoundingly in the Constituency.
"He has promised that he will use his influence to ensure several dust roads mainly the Makuwaza-Mashoko highway and the Negovano strip are tarred during his five years in office and this is why he will get a resounding victory in this election", said Chipepura. Chipepura wrote on ZANU PF information groups that the CCC had falsified the Baradzanwa incident in order to misdirect its the handlers, mainly the US and Swedish Embassies who are sympathetic to the opposition party."
Source - Tapiwa Chirandu
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