News / National
Zanu-PF a home for everybody, Chiwenga
19 Jul 2018 at 06:12hrs | Views
Chief Zanu-PF embraces all Zimbabwean citizens and will not segregate anyone on the basis of colour, creed or race, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has said.
VP Chiwenga said the party wanted all Zimbabweans to work together. He said this at Chinhoyi University of Technology at a Zanu-PF rally on Monday while introducing Ryan Cheney, who lost in the party's primary election and filed his papers as an independent candidate for the Chinhoyi National Assembly seat.
"Ryan Cheney vaida kukwikwidza muno muChinhoyi vari independent asi vati ndinoda kushanda nevamwe. Kusina mai hakuendwe.
"Zanu-PF has a policy that embraces all Zimbabweans and would not segregate anyone neither on race, colour nor creed," he said.
Cheney lost to Last Taguma Sauramba for the right to represent the party in the July 30 harmonised elections in a primary election contested by seven candidates. He, however, announced that he would work with Sauramba, who is facing nine other contestants in the polls.
Chiwenga's remarks were in stark contrast to MDC-Alliance candidate for Mwenezi East Mr Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, who torched a storm for uttering racist comments about Zanu-PF candidate for the same constituency, Joosbi Omar.
Mr Bhasikiti, a former Resident Minister for Masvingo Province, denigrated Omar for being of Indian origin.
He Twitted: "Contesting an Indian in rural Mwenezi no matter how much people are intimidated, they will choose one of their own zvekuti kuZanu nyangwe ukaisa dhongi vanhu vanorivhotera zvakaenda nemwene wazvo."
He also confirmed and reiterated his racist comments.
"It is a surprise in Mwenezi East. There is no one Indian voter to vote for him. He (Omar) has gone to rural Mwenezi kusina kana one of his blood kin and there is nothing racist in saying that.
"I did not say Omar should not contest.
"I am saying it is unique that an Indian is contesting where there are no Indians. It is just like self-imposition."
It, however, emerged that contrary to Mr Bhasikiti's utterances, in fact 18 700 people in Mwenezi East voted for Omar in a by-election last year to replace the late Joshua Moyo. His rivals only managed a combined 868 votes.
The MDC-Alliance led by Mr Nelson Chamisa has been under fire for segregating against female members of the MDC-T, including launching a vicious attack on the former party vice president Dr Thokozani Khupe at Morgan Tsvangirai's funeral in February.
Dr Khupe was also attacked by the MDC-Alliance members after a High Court case in which the parties were fighting for the use of the party symbol and name in the forthcoming elections. Chamisa has since abandoned the fight, leaving Khupe the legitimate leader of MDC-T party.
VP Chiwenga said the party wanted all Zimbabweans to work together. He said this at Chinhoyi University of Technology at a Zanu-PF rally on Monday while introducing Ryan Cheney, who lost in the party's primary election and filed his papers as an independent candidate for the Chinhoyi National Assembly seat.
"Ryan Cheney vaida kukwikwidza muno muChinhoyi vari independent asi vati ndinoda kushanda nevamwe. Kusina mai hakuendwe.
"Zanu-PF has a policy that embraces all Zimbabweans and would not segregate anyone neither on race, colour nor creed," he said.
Cheney lost to Last Taguma Sauramba for the right to represent the party in the July 30 harmonised elections in a primary election contested by seven candidates. He, however, announced that he would work with Sauramba, who is facing nine other contestants in the polls.
Chiwenga's remarks were in stark contrast to MDC-Alliance candidate for Mwenezi East Mr Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, who torched a storm for uttering racist comments about Zanu-PF candidate for the same constituency, Joosbi Omar.
Mr Bhasikiti, a former Resident Minister for Masvingo Province, denigrated Omar for being of Indian origin.
He Twitted: "Contesting an Indian in rural Mwenezi no matter how much people are intimidated, they will choose one of their own zvekuti kuZanu nyangwe ukaisa dhongi vanhu vanorivhotera zvakaenda nemwene wazvo."
He also confirmed and reiterated his racist comments.
"It is a surprise in Mwenezi East. There is no one Indian voter to vote for him. He (Omar) has gone to rural Mwenezi kusina kana one of his blood kin and there is nothing racist in saying that.
"I did not say Omar should not contest.
"I am saying it is unique that an Indian is contesting where there are no Indians. It is just like self-imposition."
It, however, emerged that contrary to Mr Bhasikiti's utterances, in fact 18 700 people in Mwenezi East voted for Omar in a by-election last year to replace the late Joshua Moyo. His rivals only managed a combined 868 votes.
The MDC-Alliance led by Mr Nelson Chamisa has been under fire for segregating against female members of the MDC-T, including launching a vicious attack on the former party vice president Dr Thokozani Khupe at Morgan Tsvangirai's funeral in February.
Dr Khupe was also attacked by the MDC-Alliance members after a High Court case in which the parties were fighting for the use of the party symbol and name in the forthcoming elections. Chamisa has since abandoned the fight, leaving Khupe the legitimate leader of MDC-T party.
Source - the herald
