Zanu-PF skirmishes in Chipinge

INFORMATION and Communication Technology deputy minister Win Mlambo on Friday defied a Zanu-PF Manicaland province order not to hold a rally in Chipinge South, leading to skirmishes between hordes of rival party youths.

Mlambo early last week was forced to flee for his life after armed Zanu-PF youths charged at him, accusing the Chipinge East MP of intrusion.

But, unlike in the previous incident were Mlambo's sympathisers had to scurry for cover, on Friday they reportedly fought back.

Mlambo confirmed the incident to NewsDay yesterday but said the rally had already been stopped.

"The rally had already been stopped. The security agents had ordered the meeting to be stopped for security reasons. But there are hooligans who thought the meeting was still going ahead and started barricading the road with rocks and logs," he said.

"The hooligans were just causing mayhem among themselves for reasons we do not know. They are defectors we wanted to help,' he said.

Sources said Mlambo intended to distribute food, to six families of Zanu-PF youths who died last year in a road accident coming from a rally.

"Mlambo wanted to hold a meeting there (in Chipinge South a) against the order of the province and law enforcement agents. When his advance party went to the ground they faced resistance from local Zanu-PF supporters, this time it was not only the youths who resisted, there were members of the women's league, village heads and ordinary party structures who gave them their marching orders," NewsDay heard.

"You cannot just come into someone's constituency without invitation. You can also not talk about development issues in someone's constituency without their knowledge or that of the leadership."

Chipinge South lawmaker Enoch Porusingazi urged Mlambo to be a unifying figure rather than trying to "destabilise his constituency."

"He (Mlambo) should understand that we are from the same party and the party policy entails that we work together.

Let us not treat each other as enemies, if he wants to de-campaign me he should wait until the time we have primary elections, he should not try to destabilise my constituency," Porusingazi said.