Zanu-PF warns party members against violence

The Zanu-PF leadership here has strongly warned party members against instigating or perpetrating violence, saying the culprits would be prosecuted in line with the revolutionary party's rules, irrespective of their positions.

The warning comes in the wake of bloody clashes in Gutu East between supporters of Berita Chikwama who won primary elections to represent Zanu-PF in the constituency and those who backed her nearest challenger Mafios Mlambo.

The clashes took place at Chin'ai Business Centre and five ruling party members have since been arrested in connection with the intra-party clashes that left several people hospitalised.

Zanu-PF Masvingo Provincial chair Ezra Chadzamira yesterday castigated elements behind the Gutu East violence, saying action would be taken against those fingered for being behind the clashes.

Chadzamira said Zanu-PF was a peace-loving party and stood guided by clarion calls by its First Secretary and presidential candidate in the forthcoming harmonised elections, President Mnangagwa, who has repeatedly exhorted Zimbabweans to observe peace before, during and after the harmonised elections for the plebiscite to be credible.

"We are very concerned with reports of clashes between Zanu-PF members in Gutu East and we have since dispatched a team to investigate the root cause of the clashes and we want to make it clear that the culture of violence is anathema to Zanu-PF and the values which the party stands for.''

"The party will definitely take action against the perpetrators and instigators of the violence in Gutu East. We want our members to preach peace and heed calls by our leader President Mnangagwa who has said there is no place for violence in our country as we head for harmonised elections," said Chadzamira.

The Zanu-PF Masvingo chair said the cause of the clashes will only be established after the probe team has presented its findings.

He, however, urged losing candidates in last month's primary elections to respect the outcome and rally behind candidates who triumphed saying at the end of the day Zanu-PF should be the winner.

"I want to appeal to losing candidates in the party primary elections to respect decisions of the Zanu-PF elections apex body, the National Elections Commission, which upheld results of our primary elections.

"There will be no changes to primary elections results and those who won are the party's candidates in the general elections and that will not change so there is no need for people to continue fighting."

Chadzamira exhorted ruling party structures to leave the outstanding issues of primary elections behind and work to make sure Zanu-PF and President Mnangagwa win resoundingly in the harmonised polls.

"Some of the losing candidates wrote petitions contesting the outcome of primary elections but the National Elections Commission made the final decisions and those decisions are binding, now is the time to look ahead and campaign vigorously for President Mnangagwa and our party," said Chadzamira.

Zanu-PF National Secretary for Security Lovemore Matuke on Sunday said the ruling party was going to dispatch members of its security department to investigate the reasons behind the intra-party clashes in Gutu East.

Chikwama emerged victorious in the parliamentary primaries in Gutu East giving her another chance to represent the ruling party in the constituency where she was first voted into office in the 2013 harmonised elections.

The ruling party leadership in Masvingo has already hit the campaign trail drumming up support for President Mnangagwa and candidates who won primary elections the party seeks to retain all the 26 House of Assembly seats in the province, come harmonised elections.