News / Local
Eyebrows raised over Zanu-PF by-election candidate
10 Nov 2023 at 01:27hrs | Views
Zanu-PF's prospective legislator for the Lobengula-Magwegwe constituency, Menziwa Dube, who is set to contest in the December 9 by-elections, was previously apprehended in Dubai for alleged involvement in the sale of counterfeit gemstones, as per information obtained by Southern Eye.
Dube secured the Zanu-PF candidacy after winning the party's primaries on Saturday. However, it has been revealed that he has a prior arrest record stemming from a 2012 incident in Dubai where he, along with two others, was arrested by Dubai Police for purportedly selling fake gemstones.
Zanu-PF's Bulawayo provincial spokesperson, Archibold Chiponda, defended the party's choice of Dube as a candidate, asserting that he was never convicted. Chiponda dismissed the emerging reports, attributing them to attempts to tarnish candidates' reputations.
In the 2012 Dubai incident, Dube and his associates were arrested after a tip-off from an Asian businessman who claimed to have been defrauded of Dh 150,000 (approximately US$40,840) by the group. The arrests were made as they attempted to leave the United Arab Emirates. The gang was implicated in 86 fraud cases related to counterfeit gemstones, though Dube himself was not convicted.
This development marks the second instance of Zanu-PF fielding a candidate with a questionable record in the city. Tendai Charuka, the unsuccessful candidate in the August 23 and 24 elections for Bulawayo Central, also had a criminal record related to his land development company's involvement in a housing scheme that swindled US$149,000 from National University of Science and Technology employees.
Critics, such as Ibhetshu Likazulu Secretary-General Mbuso Fuzwayo, expressed concern over the ruling party allowing individuals with questionable records to participate in elections. Fuzwayo suggested that many within Zanu-PF seek sanctuary in the party, believing they will be protected despite their criminal activities.
Former Bulawayo senator Tamani Moyo commented on Zanu-PF's tendency to act independently and predicted that some residents supporting such candidates may later regret their choice upon discovering their criminal backgrounds.
The by-elections were proclaimed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa following the recall of Citizens Coalition for Change councillors and legislators by self-proclaimed interim Secretary-General Sengezo Tshabangu.
Dube secured the Zanu-PF candidacy after winning the party's primaries on Saturday. However, it has been revealed that he has a prior arrest record stemming from a 2012 incident in Dubai where he, along with two others, was arrested by Dubai Police for purportedly selling fake gemstones.
Zanu-PF's Bulawayo provincial spokesperson, Archibold Chiponda, defended the party's choice of Dube as a candidate, asserting that he was never convicted. Chiponda dismissed the emerging reports, attributing them to attempts to tarnish candidates' reputations.
In the 2012 Dubai incident, Dube and his associates were arrested after a tip-off from an Asian businessman who claimed to have been defrauded of Dh 150,000 (approximately US$40,840) by the group. The arrests were made as they attempted to leave the United Arab Emirates. The gang was implicated in 86 fraud cases related to counterfeit gemstones, though Dube himself was not convicted.
Critics, such as Ibhetshu Likazulu Secretary-General Mbuso Fuzwayo, expressed concern over the ruling party allowing individuals with questionable records to participate in elections. Fuzwayo suggested that many within Zanu-PF seek sanctuary in the party, believing they will be protected despite their criminal activities.
Former Bulawayo senator Tamani Moyo commented on Zanu-PF's tendency to act independently and predicted that some residents supporting such candidates may later regret their choice upon discovering their criminal backgrounds.
The by-elections were proclaimed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa following the recall of Citizens Coalition for Change councillors and legislators by self-proclaimed interim Secretary-General Sengezo Tshabangu.
Source - Southern Eye
