The ruling party Zanu PF’s secretary for administration Obert Mpofu has vowed to claim back Lupane East constituency in the coming by- elections to be held on December 9. Lupane East Constituency together with Binga North constituency are some of the vacant parliamentary seats in Matebeleland North Province. Phathisiwe Machangu will represent Lupane East Constituency while Chineka Muchimba will represent Binga North Constituency.
Addressing party supporters at the Lupane East Constituency by-election campaign launch in Ward 5 Mpofu, said the particular seat is therefore done and dusted.
“We are happy and eager and we want to work collectively as a team in this campaign. We also want to ensure that all our pledges and promises to this particular Constituency are met by 9 December,” said Mpofu.
He revealed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had dispatched a team of senior party members to help in campaigning ahead of the 9 December by elections.
“Senior party members were sent here to talk to the people to understand why things have happened this way. As you may have noticed, people regret what happened. We are convinced we are going to correct the situation because people got misled somehow,” said Mpofu.
He added: “This Constituency, like all our constituencies, is very important to us because we have been running it for the past years but have lost it. It was very unfortunate. Permanent Sibanda, Lupane Constituency District Development Committee Chairman echoe similar sentiments saying the party is confident to bag the Lupane East seat as they have been given a second chance to do so.
“We have been given the chance to reclaim what we lost previously, this is another chance to correct our mistakes,” he said.
The party’s administrator earlier said he was surprised that people were linking CCC’s secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu to Zanu PF. He said he did not even know who Tshabangu is and the ruling party was not connected in any way to the CCC drama. Sengezo Tshabangu is self-proclaimed interim secretary general of the opposition party Citizen Coalition of Change (CCC). Tshabangu has been recalling CCC MP members causing unrest and confusion to that party members
Speaking on the sidelines of the campaign launch Mpofu said: “Zanu PF has nothing to do with what is going on in the CCC. I don’t even know Sengezo myself. I have never seen him. I have only seen him in pictures and on videos. I really take all that to allege that we have something to do with CCC as a joke, Cde Mpofu said.
Meanwhile, Sengezo Tshabangu, is currently hooked in a legal dispute, he is accused of stealing intellectual property. Tshabangu’s actions, which include recalling CCC Members of Parliament (MPs) and councillors, asserting they are no longer party members, have led to internal disagreements within the CCC.On the other hand Nelson Chamisa the CCC leader claims that Tshabangu is not a legitimate party member.
Source New Ziana