CIO Boss Minister Mudha’s nephew accused of ‘hiring’ voters to Kwekwe Central

 

Reports from Kwekwe in the Midlands Province insinuate that state security minister Owen ‘Mudha’ Ncube’s nephew, Energy ‘Dhala’ Ncube who is vying for the sole ticket to represent Zanu PF in the potentially explosive Kwekwe Central by-elections has been accused of ‘importing’ voters from other constituencies to out-ballot the ruling party’s shadow MP Kandros Mugabe in an anticipated re-run of primary elections.

Information reaching Zwnews indicates that Dhala, a gold dealer, has been ‘coercing’ voters from other constituencies before providing them with fake addresses, so that they register as voters from Kwekwe Central constituency.

The ‘hired’ voters, sources say, are also being offered ’employment’ as gold panners at a mining shaft under Dhala’s control just outside the Midlands mining town’s central business district.

These reports come barely a few weeks after Zanu PF primaries were abandoned amid violent scenes in which supporters aligned to Minister Ncube’s nephew are said to have physically assaulted the presiding team led by the ruling party’s provincial deputy chairperson and Shurugwi North MP Robson Nyathi.

An unidentified police officer who was also assaulted by the Zanu PF youths

They also assaulted member of the Kwekwe Central Police Force and went on to stone the Party District vehicle.

The youths, including a hooker from Amaveni suburb called Malaika, accused the presiding officers of having been bribed by Mugabe who, in turn, denies the allegations.

In the midst of the violent scenes, a deployment of security forces besieged the Zanu PF Kwekwe district headquarters resulting in running battles between the irate youths and the armed uniformed forces.

While the elections were eventually abandoned, with Zanu PF Midlands provincial chairperson Engineer McKenzie Ncube telling this publication that the party would come up with the way forward on the aborted primaries, Dhala who is son to one of Minister Ncube’s sisters is alleged of ‘busing voters’ from other constituencies outside Kwekwe Central, so that they register as voters in Kwekwe.

A one Mavhunga who is employed at the Kwekwe District Adminstrator’s office, is reportedly working in cahoots with a pro-Dhala youth identified as Kamu, to doctor affidavits which claim that the ‘hired supporters’ are bona fide residents from Kwekwe Central so that they register as voters from the constituency.

According to Macdenias Moyo, a Zanu PF youth who is eyeing the post of secretary for education in the forthcoming district coordinating committee elections, the Dhala camp has been taking advantage of the plight of the poverty-stricken youths by registering them as voters in the constituency.

“They think they are the masters of controlling the narrative. They have been rejected by the structures and now they are exploiting people who are economically deprived for their selfish gains,” Moyo told Zwnews.

He also said Dhala was now creating ‘new’ structures to ensure that he triumphs in the primaries through unorthodox means

“They are using poverty to coerce people to transfer their voting rights to Kwekwe Central. Their registration is then used as the licence to work on Dhala’s mining pit in the Globe and Phoenix area. They are creating their own structure outside the structure hoping that somehow they might control the narrative with superficial optics that are miles aways from the real truth on the Ground,” he said.

Added Moyo:

“Their politics is toxic (and) vatiurayira musangano wedu weZanu PF muKwekwe but Kwekwe Central vachakonewa nekuti Structure inomira zvinesimba to spit out these malcontents. These opportunists are not ZANU PF but they use our beloved name to intimidate, plunder resources (and) line their pockets on the back and blood of our vulnerable youths and women”.

He further alleged that the Dhala camp, which is being reportedly backed by Local Government minister July Moyo and former Mbizo MP Vongaishe Mupereri, has been using its close connections to powerful authorities to ensure that the outcome of the primary elections favours them.

“Their proximity to power gives them the hubris to think that they will forever be untouchable but Zanu PF is built on the concept of ubuntu and inclusion. Matsotsi aya havasi vanhu veZANU PF, these are pure thugs and they label others to sanitize their own shortcomings,” said Moyo.

Although Dhala could not be immediately reached out for a comment on the matter, Mugabe told this publication that he had learnt about the allegations through rumours, but said this was not going to ‘shake’ him.

“Yes, I have heard about this through the grapevine but it does not really concern me because it will not work. I am neither shaken nor moved and will only wait for the party to guide us on the way forward after the abandonment of the primary elections. In actual fact, I stand guided by the decisions of the party,” said Mugabe.

The Kwekwe Central seat fell vacant following the death of former Zanu PF MP and National Patriotic Front legislator, Masango Matambanadzo in July this year.

Efforts to get a comment from Engineer Mackenzie Ncube and Zanu PF national political commissar Victor Matemadanda were fruitless during the time of publishing.

Zwnews