Mentioning of the name Maclean Nyamucherera reminds informed Zimbabweans of the then only Zanu PF Kwekwe City Councilor who was at one time, in 2020, picked up by the police for questioning before he subsequently appeared in the courts-of-law for playing a role in the chaotic scenes that had rocked the ruling party’s district headquarters during the eventually aborted primary elections pitting cleric-cum-politician, Archbishop Kandros Mugabe and Energy ‘Dhala’ Ncube.
And, to those who are conversant with the perennial infighting within the ruling party in Kwekwe, Nyamucherera, who was once a close ally of the debatably influential Zvipo ZveMweya church leader, had at that time, switched to a camp loyal to Dhala, who happens to be the nephew of the humiliatingly dethroned former state security minister, Owen ‘Mudha’ Ncube.
The Dhala camp has the support of the former cabinet minister and Local Government minister, July Moyo.
Maclean Nyamucherera (right) and Energy Ncube
When he switched to the Dhala camp, Nyamucherera was the only Zanu PF Councilor at Kwekwe City Council after his victory in the 2018 elections. He won the 2018 elections for Ward Six with the financial backing of Mugabe and when he switched to the Dhala camp, many viewed the move as the ‘Great Betrayal’.
But Nyamucherera’s honeymoon at the local authority will definitely end this year after he was out-balloted by Mugabe’s son, Courage, in the recently-conducted Zanu PF primary elections.
Courage Mugabe, a former Goldridge College student, defied the 20-year age deficit that separates Nyamucherera and himself to electorally ‘sjambok’ the current Ward Six Councilor by a wider margin after polling 665 votes against Nyamucherera’s paltry 100 votes in the fiercely contested intraparty polls.
Mugabe downplayed the rivalry between Nyamucherera and his father who was controversially disqualified from contesting in the primary elections and heaped praises on party leader Emmerson Mnangagwa for providing the youths with the opportunity to contest for top positions in the party.
“I would like to thank the President of Zimbabwe and First Secretary of Zanu PF, His Excellency Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for empowering the youths as we can also contest for political positions in the party,” Mugabe said.
“If you ask me, I’ll tell you that the coming elections will be won resoundingly by Zanu PF and the 5 million votes targeted for our presidential candidate are no mere talk- it’s serious business. When I get to the Civic Centre, which I am sure I’ll do, I am going to make it a point that I deliver. I really call upon the youths to support young people like myself and the president in his Vision 2030 which we must all complement,” he added.
Zwnews
