Influential Chief accused of destabilising outreach program
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 06 July 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
6 July 2010
The MDC-T party on Tuesday strongly accused the influential President of the Chiefs Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira of abusing his position to undermine the outreach program.
Senator Morgan Komichi, the MDC-T coordinator of the constitutional making process, reacted furiously to reports that Chief Charumbira was allegedly moving around some districts of Masvingo turning consultative meetings into ZANU PF rallies. Komichi urged the management of the Consitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) to take disciplinary action against those seen as working to “poison or destroy” the program. Charumbira is a senior COPAC delegate meant to be assisting the program.
Komichi said they didn’t mind seeing Charumbira working to further ZANU PF interests in the process, as long as he was not an outreach team member using COPAC resources.
“He has abandoned his duties as a COPAC delegate and is now playing a deconstructive role in the whole process. Because of his prior knowledge of the program in the province, he is now using it to his advantage to turn COPAC meetings into ZANU PF rallies,” Komichi said.
The MDC-T deputy organising secretary explained that Chief Charumbira was visiting venues for COPAC meetings ahead of outreach teams to coerce people to toe the ZANU PF line. Chivi businessman Sanders Magwizi is allegedly also bussing around ZANU PF youth members who are causing havoc in the district together with Charumbira.
“His modus operandi is simple. He wakes up early in the morning, travels to scheduled meetings three or four hours ahead of outreach teams. Once there he reads them the riot act and orders those gathered to strictly follow the ZANU PF line of answering questions,” Komichi said.
Komichi told SW Radio Africa that Chief Charumbira’s actions were a direct attempt to destabilise and create confusion to the outreach process. He said his motive can best be described as seeking to undermine and scuttle a process that is expected to bring back sanity and democracy for Zimbabweans.
The MDC also reported that in Manicaland province, their secretary for Ward 20 in Mutare South had to be hospitalised after sustaining serious internal injuries. The MDC said the officials was assaulted by the village head, Daniel Toopera, with the aid of two ZANU PF brothers, Batsirai and Daniel Makomboti.
“Blessing Musarandega was assaulted after giving his opinion during a Constitution-making outreach public meeting held on 29 June at Munyarari primary school,” an MDC statement said.
Musarandega’s opinions are believed to have infuriated the village head and his ZANU PF colleagues, who had drafted a list of people who were meant to speak at the outreach meeting.
Despite the assault, Musarandega said he would not be deterred from his basic right to participate in the drafting of a new Constitution.
“They want to silence us but they will not succeed. This is a national constitution and not a ZANU PF baby. We are all Zimbabweans; we want our voices to be heard. I will participate again when the outreach team comes back to the area,” Musarandega said.
The MDC said the assailants were reported to the police but no arrests have yet been made.