ZANU-PF explodes, as official receives death threats

Factionalism is at boiling point in Zanu-PF Mazowe district following death threats sent to District Coordinating Committee member, Edwin Chinotimba by fellow party's district member Philip Somanja.


Investigations and information gathered by Bulawayo24News crew from an audio and letter leaked from Zanu-Pf Mazoe leadership WhatsApp platform proved that Somanja is threatening to mobilise his teams and unleash violence against him until his head rolls downstream.

A scathing attack against Chinotimba arose just after an internal introspection, post-mortem and fact-finding review meeting presided over by Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson, Honourable Kazembe Kazembe who quizzed fellow comrades on why they subbotaged party programmes including snubbing burial of late national hero, Chenhamo 'Chen' Chimutingwende.

In a bold response during the meeting to Kazembe Kazembe, Chinotimba disclosed that the party is becoming unpopular and gradually lost support from surrounding farms and grassroots because his (Kazembe Kazembe) campaign teams were regularly involved in illegal land grabs in Mazowe while using his name (through name-dropping), thereby shortchanging electorate who lost land they were previously entitled to. Some were allegedly snubbing the burial because they were either starved or just got a bottle of mineral water during previous burials. 

Just after the exposee' by Chinotimba during the meeting, some Zanu-Pf members in Mazowe West called him (Chinotimba) threatening that he will have sleepless nights until they manage to terminate him.

"Hello, iwe usapote uchitaura zvisina nebasa rese pamusoro pangu wanzwa. Imbwa yemunhu Satan, ndichanyatsoonana newe feya feya (Please don't move around while soiling my name, you are an unrepentant dog! Satan. I will meet and deal with you personally and show you how we deal with you)," Somanja said.

"Ndinoda kukumamisa Chinotimba ndiri kutokuudza chokwadi pandiri kusangana newe ndoda kukumamisa, ndinoda kusangana newe ndoda kukuuraya ndatokutaurira. Wakapiwa 80-hactares uri muWar Vet here iwe mwana mudiki akadaro? Wakarwa hondo ipi iwewe pauri ipapo? (I am not related to you and for the sake of living a normal life, leave my name alone. You got an 80-hactare farm, a benefit which you were not obliged and fit to benefit from, did you participate during the liberation struggle? Are you a war veteran? No you are not and also not supposed to benefit from either land reform or empowerment programmes proceeds. I want to deal with you and will kill you)," Somanja threatened.

Kazembe however tasked the party's vice chairperson, Christopher Magomo to look into the matter of corruption within Mazowe where Somanje and his crew allegedly grabbed council land earmarked for development, but sold it and pocket all the proceeds from 1500 stands subdivided into residential, commercial and recreational purposes.

When contacted for a comment, Somanja could neither confirm nor deny the allegations saying he is not at  liberty to talk to the media before hanging his phone.

"Ehe ndanzwa kuti muri majournalists asi handina nguva yekutaura nemi nezvenyaya iyoyo (I hear that you are a journalist, but i don't have time to talk to journalists pertaining to that matter)," Somanja said.

Zanu-Pf leadership from Mazoe district were all evasive in either confirming or disclosing about receiving the letter or their knowledge about the audio.

Mazoe district spokesperson, Kushinga Dutiro said  he was yet to  receive any complainant from Chinotimba.

"We are yet to receive any letter neither am I aware of the leaked audio," Dutiro said.

During the triple burial of national heroes at the national shrine recently, Acting President, General (Retired) Constantine Chiwenga  denounced party officials and other leaders involved in corruption that their days are numbered and law will not hesitate to take its course until justice is served. Zanu PF has often come under fire for harbouring corrupt elements linked to the party as protection from prosecution.

At the same event only two (2) out of eight (8) buses dispatched to Mashonaland Central to ferry mourners were full, whilst the rest  came back to the national shrine  almost empty, with another one recording only three mourners (from party structures) excluding the driver. Other buses ferried between 6 and 9 people each, a signal that there was poor or insufficient mobilisation from the party structures.

Mashonaland Central provincial and district officials were not happy about the numbers coming for the burial of their own and claimed that had it not been for the mobilisation from other provinces who came to their rescue in filling up the national shrine, it would have been empty and worst attendance record in the history of mourning national heroes.